CAUSES AND EFFECT OF DIVORCE AND FAMILY ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In ancient societies, marriage of a youth in ancient society was parts of the responsibilities of his parents. The young man had no choices and no says. He accepted his wife his joy and thanks. In some cases, a wife was married for him at a time he could certainly not afford to keep a wife all maintenance was borne by the parents. According to Landis, H. P. (1977) In the past marriage were a matter within the clan or within clan’s and its environs parents were not anxious to see their suns getting married to girls from distant places or other tribes. Marriages arranged by parents on the basis of family friendship ties rarely broke up in the past. Divorce in the ancient times was also very rate, because of penalties of proven infidelity and fear of offending elders of both families.

In Nigerian, there are four clearly defined types of marriage we have the church or statutory marriage, court marriage is performed at the Muslim Mosque and marriages contracted according to the native laws and customs of any given ethnic group known as the traditional marriages. In 1979, according to Fumilayo Lavis, marriage was made for the purpose of having children so as to establish a family because marriage was ordained by God to serve this purpose, when these children are virtually born, they are seen as God’s blessing and as a gift to their parents as they are social and economic assets to their parents. The family this time needs a home to live in and feel secured, this home is a place where a family live and also a place where one secured love. It is a place which provide all individual need in order to fit into the society successfully. A home provides for good physical, mental, psychological and spiritual development of the members. A home built on love, mutual understanding and good planning is able to met its goals and a home where love and understanding are lacking is bound to crack and in all direction, this, broken homes are homes or families where either the farther or the mother has ceased to be member of such home or family through divorce, desertion to mention but a few. Divorce therefore can be defined to be personal misfortune for either of the spouse ion any society but it is a universal escape for the inevitable tension is marriage. Divorce as a matter of fact breaks the bonds, which once united two individual and their family. Marriage is a big step in life, in which a person plans as a career or even business, certainly you either fail or succeed. This bond dissolution can occur as a result of extra marital practices by either of the partners, early marriage, a solution where either of the spouses is not ripe enough for marriage before getting married. The objective of the family is the proper upbringing of children is a more important objective of the family than the happiness of the parents. This is because the early of child life are the formation of personality and these are the years that are spent mainly in association with parent’s siblings and the family. The home as the child’s immediate environment forms the basis for personality development, which accompanies the individual throughout life. As a result of divorce or broken home children fails to develop ties to one or few important person in the family and when these ties are disrupted, children are taught at school impaired in developing close relationship in adulthood. They feel better and carryover critically as a happy person and at the same time cannot concentrate on anything taught at school. When a mother is out of a home, leaving the children under charity and mercy of step-mother, these children are prone to many problems such as poor feeding, negligence not inspired to study or learn, diseases and sicknesses, emotional disturbance (fear, insecurity) not inspired to study malnutrition, sickness and diseases, negligence, as such they are not likely to perform up to expectation at school.

1.2     STATEMENT OF PROBLEM 

Many problem are associated with divorce or broken homes, which reflects on the performance of children in schools, some of these problem are; It has been observed that children from broken home suffer some other problems e.g. non-provision of some basic necessities like, clothing food, learning materials etc. There is increase in domestic work and redistribution of household chores, which leaves the children with little or no time for their studies

Insecurity, step parent do not show much love and affection to their step children. Thus, these children suffer from mental retardation, personality improvement and are always miserable. They show behavioral responses like lying, stealing, building and playing truant in school etc. In view of this, the researcher is forced to wonder whether extra-relationship and financial problem could lead to broken home, and if broken homes, are they causes of decrease in the performance of children in schools. A close look at other turnout of secondary school grandaunts reveals a lot of half cooked, half boiled and half motivate the researcher fear that divorce may have negative effect on the academic performance of students.

1.3     PURPOSE OF STUDY

1.      To examine the causes of broken homes.

2.      To investigate if broken homes affect child’s academic performance.

3.      Investigate if broken homes parents plan the career of their children.

4.      To provide information on how a broken home child can improve his career.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS    

The present decrease in the academic performance of students in our secondary school call for immediate attention, the researcher is eager to find out what exactly are the causes of this problem and the consequences on the children of such marriage. The following question will be used for the study of these problems. 

1.     Does children from broken homes do better than children from unbroken homes academically?

2.     Does students/children who perform poorly in school are all from divorced homes?

3.       Does divorce affect the academic performance of students?

4.      Are children/students from broken homes opportune to plan with their sponsors what course to pursue in life?

5.     Does insecurity and unrolling attitudes of step parents of students of broken home lead them to steal love at school?

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY  

 It is hoped that findings from this study will enrich programmes of teaching social studies. The researcher is interested in the study of effect of divorce on the performance of children in schools because whatever happens in the home has a bearing in the academic performance of children. It is necessary to educate the young stars who are yet unmarried about the problems and causes of divorce and their consequences on the children. It will also make young stars to decimate their parents. Findings from this study will aid children from parent who have being thought divorce in the understanding of problem experienced by their parents and give them assurance about their future.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will examine causes and effect of divorce and family organization. It will also,investigate if broken homes affect child’s academic performance. and Investigate if broken homes parents plan the career of their children. It will also, provide information on how a broken home child can improve his career. Hence it has been narrowed down to academic achievement of student from selected secondary schools in Egor local government area of Edo state

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS  

Divorce: This is a legal separation of husband and wife leaving each other free to remarry, it is also to break-up a marriage legally.

Marriage: A group of people who are closely related especially father, mother and their children.

Family: A group of persons, two or more related by blood, marriage or adoption residing together; all such persons are considered as members of one family

Infidelity: Disloyalty or a state of being unfaithful to the husband oir wife sexually our matrimonial home.

Couple: Two persons seen together as husband and wife.

Youngster: Young person or young boys and girls yet to marry.

Early Marriage: A situation where either of the spouse is not ripe enough for marriage before getting married.

Universal escape: Means of ragging freedom from tensions of marriage.

Family Goals: The aims and objectives which a family strive to achieve for better living. 

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