Spousal Violence and Women Empowerment: An Information Seeking Study at Ojah Community, Edo State

Abstract

Women’s empowerment remains a global development priority, yet it continues to face major challenges, particularly in the form of spousal violence and its often fatal consequences. Spousal violence, one of the least recognized forms of human rights abuse, undermines women’s ability to access and utilize information necessary for personal growth and empowerment. This study investigated women’s information-seeking behavior and empowerment in the context of spousal violence in Ojah community, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered using simple random sampling. Out of 300 questionnaires distributed, 288 (96%) were properly completed and analyzed. The demographic analysis showed that 22.9% of respondents were housewives, 28.1% were civil servants, while others engaged in various artisan occupations. Educationally, 34% of the respondents had tertiary education and 20.1% had secondary education. About 42.4% were currently married, with 55.9% in monogamous and 44.1% in polygamous unions. Most respondents (76.4%) earned above the minimum wage. All participants reported experiencing at least one form of domestic violence—physical (18.4%), sexual (12.5%), verbal (18.8%), emotional/psychological (30.2%), and economic deprivation (20.1%). The study concludes that spousal violence, in its various manifestations, significantly hinders women’s empowerment and their capacity to seek, access, and apply relevant information for self-development. It is recommended that empowerment initiatives should begin prior to marriage and that greater attention be paid to less visible forms of violence, particularly verbal and psychological abuse.