european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007)
low-skilled occupation, living in the rural areas and the fact that an individual lived in the countryside
during their childhood and so on will predispose them to traditional and patriarchal attitudes about wife
beating.
Thirty-nine percent of the respondents had no formal education and only 6.39% had beyond
secondary education. It is believed that those with higher formal educational level will be better
enlightened; thereby influencing the kind of attitude they have toward wife battering. Majority of the
respondents were Moslems (47.31%), followed by Christians whether protestants or other Christians
(35.77%) and religious affiliation was significantly correlated with attitude to wife battering. Women
who identify with any religion that justify wife beating will likely hold on traditional attitude
concerning such issue. Although, some Christian husbands or partners beat their wives when they are
annoyed, the Christian Holy Book says “He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him
chastens him betimes”, and there is no place where wife battering was justified in the Scriptures. About
half of the respondents are illiterates who can not read at all (48.80%), and this is thought to be
associated one way or the other with holding traditional views or ideas about wife battering.
Poverty is one of the reasons while many women depend on men for financial sustenance and
this could predispose them to abuse from such men. Analysis of the wealth index reveals that 18.36%
and 19.41% were categorised as belonging to the poorer and poorest groups respectively. Majority of
the respondents never read newspaper or magazine (76.31%) with only 2.42% reading it almost
everyday. About 36% and 22% listen to radio and watch television almost everyday respectively.
These are mediums through which the societies get information for their development and betterment,
and so to reach the vast majority of women in Nigeria with valuable information especially on the
issues of violence against women, the radio will be the most appropriate means since more people are
likely going to be reached through that medium than through other means.
The pattern of gender power relation among the Nigerian populace is still typically patriarchal
in nature as the results show. Husband/partner alone has the final say on the health of about half of
them (48.63%); on more than half of decisions regarding large household purchases (51.64%); 42.59%
of decisions about making household purchases for daily needs; 38.90% of decisions about visits to
family or relatives and 32.45% of decisions regarding food to be cooked each day. The results further
reveal high level of acceptability of wife battering among Nigerian women as forty-nine per cent
believed that wife beating is justified if the wife goes out without telling the husband/partner, if the
wife neglects the children (47.20%), if the wife argues with husband/partner (41.71%), if the wife
refuses to have sex with husband/partner (35.29%), if the wife burns the food (29.21%), and if the food
is not cooked (31.94%). This scenario has implications for the realisation of a domestic violence bill
and its execution in Nigeria. The attitude of women towards wife battering will either make it a private
issue hidden within the family or a public issue that can be reported and dealt with in the society. If
women accept it as a duty of marriage and a normal cross to bear, they will not report such issue to the
appropriate authorities for proper intervention and action, especially in a society where the extended
family system is very powerful and influential.
Multivariate results reveal that age and the person having the final say on a woman’s health
care were significant predictors of women holding on to modern views or ideas about wife battering
(P