Economics of cocoyam production by small-holder farmers in ihite/uboma local Socialization, Social class and Marital Violence: a Study of Wife Abuse in Nsukka

11here is a grm'ling increase in family violence in Nigeria, and in particular incidence of wi:fe abuse .. Yet, the Nigerian· ·society has not developed serious concern to the plight of women who are abused by their spouses. The Federal, State and :10cal governmen·l;s do not channel enough resources and e fforts to allevlate the problem. Because of the rise in wi:fe abuse cases and the lack of public interest, it is important to arouse public interest on the matter by collecting and disseminating information on the nature, causes and effects of wife abuse, and to determine what can be done by the governmsnt, professional. social workers.mnd the general public to check the incidence. Such istl the goal of the present study. rhe stUdy was based on a sample survey of 580 ma.rried .rnr::n and women out of sore t, 316 case of wife abuse reported to the Nst!.ltka '"-lot~ttl government Social Welfare agency 1Jetween 1985 and 1991 • The instrument comprised of both the structured questionnaire and the interview schedule aimed at finding : · ( i) wheth~;· family violence is a behaviour learned in the family and transmitted across generations, and (ii) the relationship