Social-Cultural and Physiological Impact of Childlessness on Married Couple in Ado –Ekiti

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of childlessness on married couples in Ado Ekiti. Childlessness has been described as having the potential to have children but choosing not to, as well as having the desire to have children but they do not come. When a married couple is ready and willing to have children but is unable to do so, this is referred to as “involuntary childlessness” and is defined as not being able to have children. Couples have children for a variety of reasons, including religious, ideological, economic, and cultural expectations. According to the Bible, having children is a good event. This is evident to the fact that attempts to initiate a move which would have been directed towards adoption is taken with serious resistance in some places like Nigeria mostly by couples without even a child. This leads to addressing social-cultural and physiological problem married couples face and discrimination from the society because the married couples cannot procreate but in the same vein the society still views married couples as inferior with the objective to determine whether women’s infertility is the main reason that couples don’t have children, to determine how individuals in Ado Ekiti feel about childlessness and also to determine whether being childless is a benefit for childless married couples. Five hundred (500) questionnaire were administered to married couples. Chi-square, Multiple bar chart to determine major factor responsible for childlessness were used. Substantive issues were considered that include, social impact, cultural impact and psychological impact. The findings show that display of superiority by the couples with children against childless couples, childless woman is blamed for infertility, and depression are the most negative impact of social impact, cultural impact and psychological impact on childless couples. It is concluded that there is high negative impact of childlessness on married couples in Ado Ekiti