Polygamy and educational attainment of children in a rural community in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined polygamy and educational attainment of children in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to explain the relationship between polygamy and educational attainment of children. The study made use of descriptive research design. A structured questionnaire was used to raise data for the study with a reliability index of 0.98. A sample size of 500 respondents was used which was determined through purposive sampling technique. Data were presented in frequency distribution tables and analyzed through the aid of percentage and Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient set at 0.05 level of significance. The study disclosed that there existed a significant relationship between polygamy and educational attainment of children in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. The causes were inadequate funding of children’s education by their families and the challenges of unfriendly environment they were faced with at their homes which were not supportive to their educational pursuit. The outcomes were poor academic performance and school dropout, among others. The study recommended that only men with the right financial ability should practice polygamy. The study also stated that family planning should be practiced by polygamous families in order to have family size that can be well handled in terms of children’s education.