GENDER ISSUES IN UXORICIDE; EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

Purpose: Uxoricide (the murdering of a wife by the husband) is no longer new in Nigerian societies. It is evidently prevalent in diverse societal norms and often results from intimate partner violence/battery. Although there have been numerous studies on domestic violence and wife battery, little research has focused on the contribution of gender role socialization to incidences of uxoricide. Socialization of expected gender roles is the mirror that reflects societal approval of spousal abuse against women. Method: To support this theoretical discussion, this paper examines information from Nigeria Watch (NW) database, books, journals, articles, and internet commentaries on women murders by intimate partners. Results: Cultural norms and religious doctrines have found convenient ways of imposing genders roles and responsibilities upon men and women. This permits men to subjugate women as a sign of masculinity, which sometimes results to uxoricide; the ultimate form of violence against women. Conclusion: Traditional socialization process moulds boys into aggressive and competitive nature, while the girls are expected to silently tolerate the aggressiveness because it is seen as a symbol of manliness. This paper therefore, argues that the incidents of uxoricide may be understood as an outcome of continuum gender roles socialization.
Keywords: Uxoricide; Wife battery; Gender role; Religion; Cultural norm; Socialization