CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Marriage is a social approved union between a man and a woman. This institution is permanent and ordained by God for the good of mankind and as such, sacred. Traditionally, everyone who is considered normal and of age is expected to marry in the traditional Nigerian society. In the good old days, marriage was respected and adored because of the cultural and moral values associated with it. It was seen as a uniting link on the rhythm of life. The building up of a family is a thing of joy and of supreme purpose. At that time, parents gave out their daughters to suitors of their choice.

At present, the perceptions about the nature and purpose of marriage have changed. Research show that there is a shift from supportive marriage partners to spouse who primarily expect personal fulfilment often at the expense of their mate such as desire for love, intimacy, fidelity, children and mutual fulfilment have weakened the long standing religious institution and social traditions which contributed to marriage stability can no longer stop the rising tide of societal acceptance of divorce.

Obviously, the threads that holds marriage are falling apart. Several developments have accelerated the transformation of marriage in many lands. First the traditional roles of the males as breadwinner and the female as homemaker have changed with the entry of women into the world of works and becoming more successful than their spouse in some cases.

Secondly, cohabitation as a replacement for marriage is growing. This situation where a man and a woman who are not married either by tradition or under the law, living together. Thirdly, child bearing outside marriage is increasingly accepted by the society, teaching to more single-parent families.

Single-parenting has become a permanent and noticeable feature in many societies today. This is as a result of people's choice about how they live their lives within a context of economic, cultural and social change.

Various terms are used around the world to describe mothers or father who raise children alone. But for the purpose of this study, I will take one which is "one-parents". It is a term that encompasses a whole range of parents who are bringing up children without their partner (either the husband or the wife, as the case maybe).

Some single parents are left single for different reasons. Some of such reasons can be as a result of war, natural disaster, disease that can lead to the death of so many people, leaving men and women to tend to their families alone with their other partner. Another and most trending reason for single parenting is the act of divorce where a man or woman decides to leave his or her matrimonial home for one reason or the other. Another can be as a result of teen pregnancy in which case the girl is left to raise her child by herself due to rejection from the man responsible.

Single parenthood is not generally a selfish and wilful choice but still, the prevalence of single parent is a matter of concern as they and their children may suffer emotional stress, economic need and social disadvantages. Some single mothers who did not marry the father of their child are often very young and inexperienced. They may not have had an opportunity to complete their formal education, without adequate job skill, they are more likely to be poor and employed in low paid jobs. Without support from relations like parents, they will also have the added responsibility of providing for their child.

Some single mothers feel great anger as a result of the effect of divorce. Feeling of low self-worth and a deep feeling of rejection also rob some single parent of their ability to extend themselves emotionally to their children, those of them who need to enter into the job market for the first time may have difficulty coping with the responsibility of managing a household and their job. The widowed mother have an extra burden to carry. She assumes responsibility of her household while still grieving for her lost mate. The adjustment to this role may take a long time as the single mother cope with economic challenges and responsibility of tending to her children. Such challenges faced by a single mother may tell on the children who may lack some vital parenting.

Most single parents spend time formerly meant for their children outside the homes in search of money without adequate care for the children, thereby putting the moral future of these children on the line. The lukewarm attitude of these parents towards their children has led most of these children into seeking solace from their friends who in turn lure them into all sorts of crime which pose danger to the society. Such crimes may include: drug addiction, armed robbery, cultism and prostitution, etc. also the girl child can also indulge in premarital sex which eventually end up in teenage pregnancy.

This will lead us to the issue of teenage pregnancy as it relate to single parenting.

A teenager is a young person whose age is between thirteen and nineteen (13-19). This is the dictionary definition of teenager due to the fact that the ages of this bracket ends with "teen". But according to the Nigerian Constitution of 1999, states to us that adulthood begins from age eighteen (18). Therefore for the purpose of this work, I would take teenage age bracket to be from age thirteen to seventeen (13-17).

Research shows that many teenagers come from broken homes, a child's first impression of love, authority, and power matters so much and such is from the parents and by the kind of relationship between the teenager and the parents. Economic pressure also takes a toll on the parent-child relationship owing to the fact that the parents have to work for long hours to support the family and en-up leaving the children by themselves all day. Most single parents lack sound home management skills as most of them are often too young to assume this responsibility.

Commitments and communication is another area where these parents lack. They are never there to share with their children and spend quality time in order to listen to the problems or areas where the children is in need of advice and assistance.

Communication is a two way street so it ought to remain cordial with the parents. When a good communication base is not set, this may pose a threat for the girl child as she may tend to rely on her friend for answers who may on the other hand, lead her astray, and in most cases result to teenage pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy brings with it the burden of facing adult decision and school dropout. In the wake of learning that they are pregnant they feel absolutely overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. Many pregnant girls do not have someone to confide in or are too ashamed to talk about their situation. They get to suffer severe depression. These girls stand the chance of contracting different disease and in most cases, they go through severe complication during delivery, e.g. Urinary tract Infection.

The children are also likely to be born prematurely and at low birth weight, raising the probability of infant mortality, blindness, mental retardation, chronic respiratory problem, cerebral palsy, dyslexia and hyperactivity. To avoid all these problems of early marriage and teenage pregnancy, it will be very necessary to have psychological counselling for teenagers as well as sex education and birth control. Injection and contraceptive pills will also assist.

Statement of the Problem

Single parenting and teenage pregnancy is a global tragedy and needs to be tackled with all vigor. The issue of school dropout and complication during delivery are increasing rapidly in our society and therefore in need of urgent attention.

As a single parent, raising a teenager is very tasking, especially the female child. It is at this stage of development the female child craves for more attention and are in need of answers to certain questions that may cross their mind. This become a problem when the female child does not get the required audience from the parents. Such situation leaves the girl child at the mercy of friends who may give her advice thereby engaging in premarital sex that may result in teenage pregnancy.

The attitude of the government towards the introduction of sex education into the school curriculum is not helping matters. All these problem put together, prompted this write-up which has as its theme factors responsible for single parenting and teenage pregnancy among female secondary school students in Warri South Local Government Area with major focus of Uwangbe College, Warri.

Research Questions

The following research questions were put forward to guide the study:

1. Is there any difference between the perception of female students from girls model school and that of mixed secondary school on teenage pregnancy?
2. Is there any difference between the perception of female students from high and low socio-economic background on teenage pregnancy?
3. What is the difference between the perception of single parent female student and married parents female student on teenage pregnancy?
4. Is there any difference between the perception of female student who are Christians and non-Christian female students on teenage pregnancy?
5. What is the difference between the perception of female students from urban and rural areas on teenage pregnancy?

Research Hypothesis

In order to achieve the objectives of this study and attempt to find out the problems that prompted this study, the following null hypothesis were stated to be tested:  

1. There is no significant difference between the perception of female students from girls model school and that of mixed secondary school on teenage pregnancy
2. There is no significant difference between the perception of female students from high and low socio-economic background on teenage pregnancy
3. There is no significant difference between the perception of single parents female students and married parents female students towards teenage pregnancy
4. There is no significant difference between the perception of female students who are Christians and non-Christian female students on teenage pregnancy
5. There is no significant difference between the perceptions of students from urban and rural areas on teenage pregnancy

Purpose of the Study

In specific term, the objectives of this study are as follows:

1. To find out the difference between the perception of female students from girls model school and that of mixed secondary school on teenage pregnancy
2. To find out the difference perception of female students from high and low socio-economic background on teenage pregnancy
3. To find out the difference between the perception of single parents female students and married parents female students towards teenage pregnancy
4. To find out the difference between the perception of female students who are Christians and non-Christian female students on teenage pregnancy
5. To find out the difference between the perceptions of students from urban and rural areas on teenage pregnancy

Significance of the Study  

The significance of the study is for the researcher to create awareness of the counsellors in secondary schools, parents, students, and the government on the cause, challenges and effect of single parenting on teenage pregnancy. The place of the counsellor in this study cannot be over emphasised to counsel the students on the dangers of pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy.

It is the place of the counsellor armed with his/her wealth of experience by virtue of his/her training to apply the psychological instrument to the advantage of the female student. This is the basis of the issue and hence this study. A change of attitude towards sex by the female students will make a great difference. This will help put the occurrence of teenage pregnancy among our youths on check and reduced.

Scope of the Study/Delimitation

This study deals critically with the subject "single parenting as correlates of teenage pregnancy" among female secondary school students in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State and it is limited to Warri South Local Government Area.

Limitation of the Study

In view of the fact that personal interview was used extensively, certain limitation were encountered during the data collection stage of this work. The method adopted became too expensive as several trips had to be made to the school in question and other school in Warri South Local Government Area to get to the respondents. The lackadaisical attitude of respondents towards researcher discovery certain information for the fear of being revealed makes the researcher work and near accurate data collection abit tedious. The researcher cannot conclusively claim that the information or findings are very accurate or true representation of the views of the people questioned.    

Definition of Terms.

Single Parenting: various terms are being used around the world to describe mother or father who raise children alone. But for the purpose of this study I will have just one which is "lone parents". It is a term that encompasses a whole range of parents who are bringing up children without a male or female partner in their household. We can also define single parenting as a case of a person who has a dependent child or children and who is widowed, divorced or unmarried.

Teenager: A teenager is a young person who is between age thirteen to nineteen. But in the cause of this study, we are going to take age thirteen to seventeen. Teenager is also referred to as an adolescent.

Teenage Pregnancy:    

This is pregnancy contracted under age seventeen. This occurs when a teenage girl who is unmarried engages in premarital sex, unprotected.

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