Socio-economic Determinants of Domestic Violence Suffered by Rural Women Crop Farmers in Imo State

Abstract

The study identified the socio-economic determinants of domestic violence suffered by rural women crop farmers in Orlu agricultural zone of Imo State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 80 rural women crop farmers for the study. Data were collected using structured interview schedule and analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Findings show that out of the forty-two variables used to capture the nature of domestic violence suffered by women in the study area, only eight reached the cutoff point of 2.50. The major causes of domestic violence identified by the study were disagreement over money (x̅ =3.0), failure to perform domestic chores (x̅ = 2.7), disobedience to husband (x̅=2.7) and sharing marital problems with friends (x̅= 2.7). Respondent’s age, duration of marriage, educational status, religion, household size and number of wives were the major determinants of domestic violence. It was recommended that a re-orientation be given to the men in the area to enlighten them more on the negative effects of domestic violence.

Key Words: Socio-economic determinants of women voilence, women, domestic violence.