Childlessness and socio-cultural impact on married Couples

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
In idah urban community, as in most other parts of the country,
procreation is one of the major functions of the family. Every man take a
wife apparently to have children with them, where this main purpose for
marriage is not forth coming into fulfillment, it is then result to tension in
most cases which lead to misunderstanding and disputes in the family. In
traditional igala society, many wives try to ensure the procreation of
children to its fullest limit.
For most of history, childlessness has been regarded as great personal
tragedy involving much emotional pain and grief, especially when it is
resulted from failure to conceive or from the death of a child (Mail,
Charlene, 1986). Before conception was well understood, childlessness was
usually blamed on the woman and this in itself added to the high level
negative emotional and social effects of childlessness. Some wealthy
families also adopted children as a means of providing heirs incase of
childlessness or where no son had been born, the monetary incentives
offered by westerners desire for children is so strong that a commercial
market in the child laundering business exists (McCurry, 2005).

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Throughout the world and particularly in African societies, igala land not
exempted, the word “childlessness” sends a cold signal to the ears of
listener and a sense of pity is immediately aroused in the mind. In igala
land, children are regarded as great treasure to their parents, relations and
their immediate community. Many people suffer from childlessness for so
many reasons such as drug abuse, hard drugs effect, contraception,
numerous abortions, and genetically inherited sickness and in most cases,
psychological problems.
The number of childless couples is tremendously on the increase, 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
mostly by couples without even a child. Meanwhile, most couples are
childless as a result of the degree of their waywardness while they were
youths or younger and unmarried, such as illicit use of drugs in order to
avoid pregnancy (Ugwuanyi, 1999).
In idah urban community, childlessness is echoed by the fact that most
couples are not aware of the prevalence of medical treatment; this
therefore makes them not to seek medical assistance for such form of
ailment. According to Nwapa (2004), some couples attribute their problem
of childlessness to the supernatural, the hope in God that gives children to
remember them at the appropriate time while some couples usually fall
back to the fact that adoption, they are comforted for being biological
infertile, they no longer want to know the cause of their infertility and solve
it or get rid of it Hales, (2000).
According to Dike (2013), the police have smashed a suspected syndicate
whose alleged stock in trade was defrauding desperate barren women
through false miracle babies. He also narrated the agony of a 61year old
barren woman who travel to port Harcourt to consult miracle workers God
was using to bless the barren and make them fruitful, they told her to pay
#1.5 million, she paid the money and was given some seed to eat, after
eating it, she began to stool. It took about nine months before the miracle
workers told her that God had answered her prayers, this is the plight of
childless woman.
This study is therefore intended to carry out a survey to find out what
childlessness means and the social problems associated with childlessness
in idah urban community.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
These research questions will guide the study
i. Are childless couples in idah urban community aware of the medical
treatment of infertility?
ii. To what extent have childless couples sort for medical solution to
their problems in idah community?
iii. What are the factors that have affected the fertility of couples in idah
urban community?
iv. What has been the attitude of childless couples towards child
adoption as a way out of their problems?
v. What is the socio-cultural impacts of childlessness couples are on
marries couples in idah urban community?

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of this study includes:
i. To know if childless coupled in idah urban community are aware of
medical treatment for infertility.
ii. To find out the extent to which childless couples sort for medical
solutions to their problems in idah urban community.
iii. To examine those factors that are responsible for infertility of couples
in idah community.
iv. To find out what has been the attitude of childless couples towards
child adoption as a form of solution to their problems.
v. To determine the socio-cultural impact of childlessness on married
couples in idah urban community and the socio-cultural situation of
the society at large.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
These research work has both practical and theoretical significance.
PRATICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This study will be of great practical significance to the couples and the
entire society revealing to the prevalence of medical solutions to the
childlessness which can be handled by experts in the medical field, also be
enlightened enough to seek medical solutions to their problem and do
away with superstitious belief. It will also make the society to learn to
accept childless couples as they are and as respected members in the
society.
THEORITICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Other researchers in the same topic will find this work valuable. This study
will add to the existing body of knowledge and create room for further
research where necessary on the socio-cultural and economic impact on
married couples. It will also provide necessary and vital data on how
childlessness creates problems in the family and society at large. It will also
be a good guide to future couples who may find it difficult to conceive and
bear their own children.

1.6 DEFINITIONS OF CONCEPTS
i. Adoption: A non-biological child of a family but legally accepted as a
member of that family.
ii. Childless: The inability to conceive and bear a child for married
couples. It may have personal, social and or political significance (Peter,
N. 2010). They are two distinguishable types of childlessness, voluntary
and involuntary, voluntary childlessness is described as childfree, it is a
consequence of having made a decision not to produce. To be childless
not by choice is defined as involuntary childlessness (Miall Charlene,
1986).
iii. Contraception: It refers to a drug, device or practice used to prevent
a woman from becoming pregnant.
iv. Couple: This refers to a man and woman united in marriage.
v. Culture: According to Edward Tylor (1871), culture is that complex
whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
society.
vi. Fertility: The ability to conceive after sexual intercourse.
vii. Infertility: The inability to conceive after a period of 12months of
uncontrollable sexual intercourse (Billings, 2000).
viii. Inheritance: This refers to an ownership of certain property after the
death of the original owner.
ix. Linage: The series of families that one belongs to or descends from.
x. Sexual Intercourse: The physical activity of sex played by couples in
order for them to procreate.
xi. Surrogate Mother: This refers to where one act as, serve as or a
mother substitute. A woman who bears a child for another person, often
for pay, either through artificial insemination or by carrying until birth
another mother‟s surgical operation.