The impact of psycho- cultural effects on spousal abuse: Biblical antidote to the aftermath

Abstract

Current statistical projections in Nigeria on population stands at 206,206,771(NPC 2020). Of these, females constitute 49.4% or 101,866,144, while males constitute 50.6% or 104.340,626. In Nigeria more than 90% of marriages are not registered. Few are however registered. In a few of such instances, the statistical figures of such registered marriages in the years spanning 2014-2016, in the Nigeria stood at 67,445, 64,453, and 59,504 respectively. One debilitating problem in Africa and indeed Nigeria in particular, is the nagging issue of social injustices and discrimination against married women which sometimes lead to divorce. Of the gamut of social injustices meted out to women, domestic violence stands out conspicuously. Social injustice manifests itself in many forms, such as sexual harassment, rape, sexual assault, and even murder. These problems have not been addressed frontally by the state in trying to mitigate them. In this paper, a general review of the present state of spousal abuse in an African sub-culture society like Nigeria is displayed. The work explores the negative effect of psychoanalytic theory on gender roles unduly imposed on women by African culture. Finally, it provides biblical antidote as a futuristic guide to stem the scourge of violence against women in Nigeria.