JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

This study deals with the internal factors that militate against the emancipation of Christian widows in Nigeria. Christian widows often lament of androcentric web in Nigeria which is serving as a hindrance for their emancipation. Widows seem to be in deplorable conditions because of the so called androcentric view. The study therefore investigated some factors peculiar to widows themselves which hinder their liberation. This work employed the qualitative research design. It is concerned with systematic and inductive method of reasoning. Findings revealed that the presumed chauvinistic view lies within the domain of the widows. Most widows are ignorant of the matrimonial laws governing the marital acts. The matrimonial laws lean more on the interest of the women than men; yet most widows pay little or no regard to them. A lot of women go into marriage without taking time to study the matrimonial laws. Widows who ought to take the advantage of matrimonial laws cannot do that due to ignorance. More so, some Nigerian widows are illiterate, which impedes their emancipation. There is also the issue of misconceived ideology based on the notion of men’s world. These widows have the freedom to fight off these hindrances, so as to be liberated. Based on the above, it was recommended, among others, that widows should access the existent marital laws to be legally equipped to fight the injustices meted out against them.