ABSTRACT
The study examined the influence of socio-economic
status on marital stability among couples in Mushin Local Government Area of
Lagos State. Some relevant and related literature was reviewed in this study.
The descriptive survey research design was employed in
this study for the assessment of the respondents’ opinion with the application
of the questionnaire and the sampling technique. The questionnaire was used to
collect data from the respondents, while the sampling technique was used to
select the sample size of the study.
In this study, 150 (one hundred and fifty) couples
were involved. They were selected through the stratified sampling technique.
Also, four (4) null hypotheses were formulated and tested in this study, using
the One-way Anova and independent t-test statistical tools at 0.05 test, the
following results emerged:
(1)
Hypothesis one found that there is a significant
influence of socio-economic status of couples on marital stability.
(2)
Hypothesis two indicated that there is a significant
difference between the attitude of couples from high socio-economic status and
those from low socio-economic status.
(3)
Hypothesis three showed that there is a significant
difference between the attitude of children from high socio-economic status and
those from low socio-economic status homes.
(4)
Finally, hypothesis four revealed that there is no
significant difference between the academic performance of children who come
from poor socio-economic backgrounds and those from wealthy families.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1.0
Background to the Study 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem 7
1.2
Purpose of the study 9
1.3
Research Questions 9
1.4
Research Hypotheses 10
1.5
Significance of the Study 11
1.6
Scope of the Study 12
1.7
Definition of Terms 12
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 14
2.1
Theories of Marital Happiness 14
2.2
Theories of Socioeconomic Status 16
2.3
Measurement of Socio-Economic Status 19
2.4
Socio-Economics Factors and Its Effects on Academic
Performance 24
2.5
Communication and Marital Happiness 27
2.6
Sexual Compatibility and Marital Satisfaction 29
2.7
Intimacy and Happiness in Marriage 33
2.8
Conflict and Unhappiness in Marriage 37
2.9
Summary of Review 38
CHAPTER THREE: Research
Design and Methodology 40
3.1 Introduction 40
3.2 Research
Design 40
3.3 Population
of the Study 41
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Technique 41
3.5 Research
Instrument 41
3.5.1 Validity
of Instrument 42
3.5.2 Reliability
of Instrument 42
3.6 Procedure
for Data Collection 43
3.7 Data
Analysis Procedure 43
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA
ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
OF
RESULTS 44
4.1
Introduction 44
4.2
Hypotheses Testing 44
4.3
Summary of Findings 47
CHAPTER
FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 49
5.1
Introduction 49
5.2
Discussion of Findings 49
5.3
Conclusion 55
5.4
Recommendations 56
References 58
Appendix
64
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0
Background to the
Study
Marriage is the legally, sexually, socially sanctioned
union of two intimate adults. Traditionally, the marital relationship includes
economic independence, common residence, sexual fidelity and shared
responsibility for children. Although, the institution of marriage remains
popular, it sometimes seems to be under assault from shifting social trends.
This assault has promoted some experts, for example, Chartin (1981) and Gleen
and Wearer (1988) to ask whether the institution of marriage is in trouble.
It in any case, appears that marriage
will whither the storm. But it is worth looking at some of the social trends
that are shaking one traditional and modern model of marriages.
According to Jones (1994) a great
variety of motivational factors propel people into marriage. The most among
them is the desire to participate in a socially sanctioned, mutually rewarding,
intimate relationship. Among the key factors is the social pressure exorted on
people to marry and the socio-economic independence which make marriage to work
well. Getting marriage is still the norm in our society. Our parents, relatives
and friends expect their loved ones to marry eventually, and they often make
this abundantly clear with their comments and inquires. (Anorne 1994).
As Onyeji (1999) puts it, the popular
view in the Nigerian culture is that people marry because they have fallen in
love. Although, partially accurate, this view, is terribly oversimplified. A
multitude of motivational factors are involved in the decision to marry and
stay married. They key factors in marital stability are: increased acceptance
of cohabitation, good family background, adequate communication, absence of
inlaws’ interruption, having the same religion, maintaining the same account, fidelity
or sincerity, integrity, lack of suspicion and above all, high socio-economic
status.
Neither financial stability nor wealth
can ensure marital stability or satisfaction (Komarorsky 1997).
Komarorsky went on to postulate that
without money, families live in constant dread of financial drains such as
illness layoffs, or broken appliances. Husbands tend to view themselves as poor
providers, and their self-esteem may crumble as a result. This problem is
sometimes aggravated by disappointed wives, who criticize their husbands for
their inability to provide for the family.
According to Amaonye (1998),
spontaneity in communication may be impaired by an understandable reluctance to
talk about financial concerns. Thus, it is clear that poverty produces significant
stress for married couples. Given this reality, it is important that
prospective partners be realistic about their ability to finance a viable
future.
Moreover, when financial resources are
plentiful, money can be a source of marital strain (Adeleke, 1991).
According to Adeleke (1991), quarrels
about how to spend money are common and potentially damaging at all income
levels. Pattman and Llyod (1998), for instance, found that perceived financial
stress, regardless of a family’s actual income was associated with decreased
marital satisfaction.
Furthermore, another study carried out
by Martins and Martins (1996), examined how happily couples handled their money
in comparison to couples that eventually divorced. In comparison to the
divorced couples, the happy couples engaged in more joint decision making on
finances. Thus, the best way to avoid trouble and some battles over money is
probably to engage in extensive planning of expenditure together (Buss, 1986).
Again, Ochemba (1999) opines that money
is very important for the stability of many families. According to him, without
money, there may not be marital bliss and love which are the core ingredients
couples need to stay together as one indivisible entity. In a research carried
out by Ochefu (1992), it was found that in the high socio-economic status
families, there tend to be happiness, love and affection than in the low or
poor socio-economic homes. Eraser (1983) asserts that in the high
socio-economic status homes, parents stay together in love, children are
provided with their needs and there tend to be high level of mutual
understanding. Whereas, in the poor homes, parents constantly fight each other
because the husband could not provide for the family or the children’s school
fee’s cannot be paid as at when due.
Also, Anyanwu (1980) is of the opinion
that in a family where there is poverty and lack, there tends to be
unfaithfulness, disrespect, fighting, quarrelling and these can lead couples to
break up their marriages or they may live like cat and mouse in the same house.
The problem of socio-economic status of couples and its effects on their
marital stability is what prompted this researcher to embark on this work.
Issues of mutual concerns have to be
talked about freely and without any inhibition. Efforts should be made to talk
over difficulties and work out acceptable-solutions. Expressions of feelings
and readiness to tell the marriage partner what you expect him or her to do are
necessary before behaviours can be modified to suit a given situation (Ayodele,
1990).
If the parent is emotionally involved
in a matter to the extent of being furious or enraged! the other partner should
watch the time when the situation is less tense before replying. For example!
if the husband loses his temper (which he should try not to lose) and says that
the wife was stupid the way she acted. Though the wife is hurt by her husband's
utterance! she should not call her husband. She should wait till an appropriate
time when the husband is sufficiently calm before she calls her husband's
attention to his rude remarks about her action! and how she was really hurt by
his utterance. She could even tell her husband that she should be treated with
courtesy and respect because she holds the husband in high esteem. A reasonable
husband is likely to apologise and beg his wife to forget and forgive. If the
wife also loses her temper (which she should try not to lose) the husband can
call her to order when the charged atmosphere is over.
The attitudes of the husband and wife
to sex may be influenced by their religious upbringing and early experiences. A
partner may regard sex as something pleasurable to be enjoyed while the other
sees it as being unpleasant and should not be indulged in except for
procreation. The ability of the couple to establish adequate sexual
relationship and satisfaction matters very much in marriage stability. Husband
and wife need to adjust to sexual behaviour of each other. Normally! a man
experiences sexual urges more than his wife. The man should be considerable
enough regarding the frequency of the sexual intercourse he demands from his
wife. His request for sex should not be detrimental to his wife’s comfort. The
wife also should corporate with her husband about his need for sex. Sexual
intercourse is best enjoyed enjoyed by a couple if both of them react
positively and cooperatively. A frigid wife with her cold attitude to sex will
deprive her husband of the full enjoyment of sexual interaction with her. To
deprive a man of his right to have sexual intercourse with his wife without a
legitimate reason is detrimental to marriage stability. All the mutual sexual
satisfaction requires is adjustment to each other's demands.-
Biologically! a woman does not reach
organism as quickly as her husband and the man may need to delay sexual
intercourse until his wife is ready to enjoy it. The husband can wait form his
wife by engaging her in pre-sex plays such as touching and kissing the
erogenous zones to quicken her desire for sex. Understanding each other's level
of sexual arousal! the sensitivity to gentle touches to genital organ and the
length of orgasms are factors that lead up to and follow intercourse. Husband
and wife need not regard sex as a dirty game or feel guilty after sexual
intercourse. They should regard sex as something good in itself to further
cement the love and affection between them (Durojaiye, 1996).
1.1
Statement of the
Problem
Socio-economic status of a family may
determine the level of peace in a given home. For instance, when a family is in
abject poverty, no money to send the children to school, no good nutrition for
the children, the woman is not maintained and taken care of by the husband,
there may be conflict in the home.
In a poor home background, there are
many untoward things that happen. For instance, there is likely to be
infidelity, there is choas and there will be no love and affection in the home.
And in any home where there is no love, no affection, no trust, no fidelity,
the foundation of the marriage will collapse and crumble like a pack of cards.
In many homes today, lack of money and
other material things have caused couples to seek divorce in law courts. For
example, a situation where a husband does not win bread any more, the family
upkeep will be lacking. Situations where there is no money to maintain the
wife, the children’s school fees are not paid as at when due; where house rents
have piled up and the landlord has served a quit notice. In this particular
case, there might not be money to pay up or seek for another cheaper accommodation
somewhere else. There might even be cases of some creditors constantly visiting
the home to seek for pay back. These stressful condition may cause loss of love
and affection especially on the side of the woman. She may eventually resort to
a divorce in a law court. This will definitely put the family and children in a
bad condition.
Furthermore, children from poor and low
socio-economic homes tend to be malnurished and lack adequate health
maintenance. A family that is poor, may not be happy due to the fact that it
cannot meet up with certain obligation on the family. This may lead to
separation, divorce or husband and wife living under a roof without mutual love
and good relationship. Merely living a cat and mouse situation or kind of
relationship will eventually jeopardize the marriage and children would
eventually suffer for it. The above reasons gave rise to the examination of
this study.
1.2
Purpose of the
study
The main purpose of the study is to
find out the influence of socio-economic status on marital stability among
selected couples in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Specific objectives of the study
include:
1.
To ascertain whether socio-economic status of couples
influence their marital stability.
2.
To assess whether difference exists between the academic
performance of students whose parents are living together and those whose
parents are living separately.
3.
To find out whether a significant difference exists between
the attitudes of couples who live together and those who do not.
4.
To observe whether significant relationship exists between
stable homes and unstable homes.
1.3
Research Questions
These research questions were be asked
in this study:
i.
Is there any significant influence of the socio-economic
status on couples marital stability?
ii.
Is there any significant difference between the academic
performance of children whose parents are living together and those whose
parents are separated?
iii.
Will there be any significant differences between the
attitude of couples who live together and those who live separately?
iv.
Will there be any relationship between the attitude of
children in stable and unstable homes?
1.4
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were
formulated for testing in this study:
1.
There will be no significant influence of the socio-economic
status of couples on marital stability.
2.
There will be no significant difference between the attitude
of couples who come from high socio-economic homes and those who come from the
low socio-economic homes.
3.
There will be no significant difference between the attitude
of children who come from high socio-economic homes and those who come from low
socio-economic homes.
4.
There will be no significant difference between the academic
performance of children who come from poor socio-economic background and those
from wealthy families.
1.5
Significance of the
Study
The study will be beneficial in the
following ways or areas:
1.
Couples: The findings and
recommendation of this study will be of great benefit for couples; both the
already married ones and those intending to marry. This is because they will
learn the factors that contribute to marital happiness or harmony in marriage.
2.
Adolescents: They will learn
from the study, especially those who are of marriageable ages. This is because
they will get to understand that there are some factors that can help marriages
to grow and develop instead of dying down. They would have an insight of the
role money or wealth play in sustaining marriages.
3.
The Society: The society will
learn through this study how finance can make marriage to work well. This is
because, without enough financial powers, marriages tend to be
conflict-stricken.
Finally, with this
study, the society will be informed on the role of finance towards the
sustenance of marriage among couples.
4. Children:
Children would benefit from this study, as parents would learn through this,
how to bring up their children, irrespective of their socio-economic
backgrounds in the family. This study will help many children to learn about
their parents’ level of income in the family.
1.6
Scope of the Study
The study covered selected couples in Mushin Local
Government Area of Lagos State.
1.7
Definition of Terms
Some terms used in this study were
defined thus:
1.
Socio-Economic
Status (SES):
This refers to the combined influence of income, occupation, reduction,
cultural tastes or values and prestige on social ranking. It is classified into
three: High, middle and low socio-economic status (Bidwell and Vendor, 1999).
2.
Social Status: Mey (1998) defined
social status as groups of individual who are accorded similar levels of
prestige within the community and who share similar cultural taste, interest,
patterns of consumptions and life styles.
3.
Social Class: This is the
position in the stratification based on income.
4.
Stability: This refers to
something that is fixed, not likely to move or change its position. In simple
terms, the quality of being stable.
5.
Cohabitation: This is the act of
living together of a man and a woman without formal marriage as husband and
wife.
6.
Communication: According to
Adanma (1980), communication is the act of interaction between two individuals
or from one person or group to another. It is the act of transmitting news or
information between the source and the receiver through a medium.
7.
Stability: This is the act of
being happily married. Couples who are experiencing happiness in their marriage
are those who are regarded as being stable in their marital lives.
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