Indigenous Marriage Institutions And Divorce In Nigeria: The Case Of Abia State Of Nigeria

Aim: This paper examines the principles and structure of marriage institutions in Nigeria. It notes conditions and factors that induce divorce by using empirical examples drawn from the family as a formal institutional structure and from the administrative operation of this institution. Marriage in its present institutional functions are compared to show how divorce affects its stability and to document the results, which follow from this interaction.
Methods: Information for this study was collected from key informant interview and review of relevant literature. Here, 12 key informants who were purposively chosen from 8 randomly selected small towns and villages were studied.
Results: Findings show that nature, organizations and administration of marriage institutions center on principles of behavioural attributes, goal orientation and social norm/ roles. Study notes that some conditions that influenced divorce in olden days, such as infidelity, barrenness, frigidity, impotence, cooking food late or cooking poor quality food, lazy and dirty habits and others, are still the common causes of divorce today.
Conclusion: The researcher is of the view that the factors and conditions that influence divorce should be modified by health promotion practices so as to improve development and reduce the extent to which women are exposed to humiliating conditions of divorce.