ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTION, CARE AND PROBLEMS OF WIDOWS IN ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTION, CARE AND PROBLEMS OF WIDOWS IN ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Widows generally faced a lot of hardship which ranges from physical, psychological, social and economic problems. Widow problems are more in Africa and Asian continents. Widows in most rural communities of Africa are not educated and poor. This study was conducted to assess community perception, care and problems of widow in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara –State.
A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out. The sample size for widows and non widows’ respondents was 177 and 416 respectively. The widow and non-widows were selected using systematic random sampling and multi-stage sampling method respectively. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data collection..
The mean age of widow respondents was 57.1± 11.9years, majority of widows respondents 149 (84.2%) were Yoruba, 157 (88.7%) were Muslim, 81 (45.8%) did not have formal education while 44 (24.8%) were unemployed.
One hundred and ninety-three (46.4%) of respondents strongly agreed that widowhood practices need modification and 88 (21.2%) of respondents agreed that widows have inheritance right. Level of education of non-widow respondents in relation to their opinion on widow inheritance right was statistically not significant (p=0.3808). Ninety-eight (23.6%) of non-widow respondents strongly
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agreed that widowhood practice can course HIV/AIDS. The relationship between non-widow level of education and their opinion on whether widowhood practices can cause HIV/AIDs was statistically significant (p=0.0003).
Two hundred and twenty four (53.8%) respondents believed that culture determine widowhood practices. Respondents perception on factors that determine widowhood rites were age of widow 246(57.6%), widows level of education 40 (9.4%), widow having a child (ren) for late husband 97 (22.7%) and widow socio-economic status 45 (10.5%).
Widows experiences varied and these include eating only food cooked at home (93.2%),denial to bath(89.8%),seeing late husband corpse(88.7%),allowing the husband properties to be inherited(63.8%) and crying at odd times to prove innocence(15.8).The psychological problems experienced by widows are depression 176 (99.4%), Loneliness 130 (73.4%), stress 145 (81.9%), suicide attempt 14 (7.9%). Widows level of education and loneliness was statistically significant (p = 0.026), also widow level of education and stress was statistically significant (p =0.00018).
Widows response on who took care of them during widowhood period, were as follows deceased family 129 (72.9%), religion organization 115 (65.0%), widow family 91 (51.4%), Governmental organization 46 (23.7%) and Non-governmental organization 2 (1.1%).

Widow and child inheritance should be discouraged and widow should be allowed to inherit late husband properties. Female education and women empowerment should be encourage, in addition Government and non-governmental organization should launch a relief package for widows’ care. However there is need for widowhood practices modification.
Key words: Community, perception, care problems, widows, Ilorin East LGA, Kwara-State, Nigeria.

ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTION, CARE AND PROBLEMS OF WIDOWS IN ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

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