ABSTRACT

The study investigated the influence of spousal rape on marital stability among couples in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State. The study employed the descriptive research survey for the assessment of the opinions of the respondents. The questionnaire was used to collect vital information for this study. A total of 120 (one hundred and twenty) respondents were sampled for this study to represent the entire population of the study. Four null hypotheses were tested and the following results emerged at the end of the analysis of data:

1.       Hypothesis one found that there is a significant influence of spousal rape on marital stability among couples.

2.       Hypothesis two found that there is no significant influence of socio-economic status on spousal rape among couples

3.       Hypothesis three found that religious impact spousal rape on marital stability was significant

4.       Hypothesis four found that there is a significant ethnic impact in spousal rape on marital stability among couples.

Based on the above results, it could be concluded that spousal rape influences marital stability among couples. Also, it could be concluded that religion, ethnicity and socio-economic status are one of the important factors that determine stability in marriage.

Based on the conclusions, it is recommended that for marriages to work well, couples should ensure that they abstain from those things that would make them to face marital conflicts, separation or divorce. Such things as rape, should not be mentioned amongst couples, because it is capable of derailing the marital tie between man and woman in a conjugal union, called marriage. Rape is evil, and therefore, no sane human being, man or woman should think or nurse the idea of going into it.

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