Influence of Dating and Premarital Sex among Students of College Of Education in Nigeria

 

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to investigate influence of dating and premarital sex among students of college of education in Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, four research questions were posed. Literatures relevant to the study were reviewed. The study utilized the survey research design. The instrument used for data collection was researcher-designed questionnaire. Data was collected from 144 respondents. Frequency percentage was used to answer research questions. Findings that emanated from the study are: Sexual relationships exist among boys and girls of secondary schools. However, students do not practice bestalism, lesbianism, homosexuals or oral sex. The causes of dating and premarital sex relationships among the students include advice from friends, failure to provide for the need(s) of the family, indecent and careless dressing among the students and making teenagers prisoners at home are factors responsible for dating and premarital sex relationships among the students. Premarital sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy, poor academic performance, dropping out of school, disappointments on the part of the parents to the children, lack of good image on the part of the students and diseases like HIV/AIDS etc. The possible ways of overcoming dating and premarital sex relationship include that, Pastors/Imams should always talk on the dangers of sex before marriage, parents should educate their children on friendship and sex and sex education should not be left to community professionals or government alone- it is everybody’s responsibility.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Sexual behavior is behavior namely, hugging, kissing, masturbation, petting, intercourse, lip kissing, deep kissing, genital stimulator, oral sex, anal sex and sexual intercourse (Rizal and Dewi 2021). In this age of moral laxity, the laws of God have been set aside in the name of freedom. The moral codes of the past have given way to situation ethics. Mothers are insisting that birth control pills be given to their unmarried daughters. Movies, televisions, magazines and pornography of every kind are being used to train and inflame our youth. Modern sex education has become the tool of the devil because the biology and mechanics of sex are being taught without restraint (Momah S. 2007).

Biblically, it was categorically stated that marriage is honourable in all, and keep the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (Hebrews 13:4)

However, modern dress styles are designed to make the side walk classroom and living room into garlic’ show. Little has been left for imagination. Miniskirts and hot pants have been designed to break down any form of modesty and morality that still exist in our society. Live-stage shows draw a large crowd by staging wild bizarre sex acts that are real in every way (Dobson J.1982).

According to Momah S.(2007), the result of promiscuity and premarital sex, being veneral diseases and illegitimate births increasing among young people at an unprecedented rate. The teenagers who are more sexually active than anyone else generally do not realize how easy it is to become pregnant .The ultimate solutions recommended by Planned Parenthood is abortion with good surgical procedure where contraceptive fails. People’s minds have been conditioned to accept the idea that unborn baby is something less than human.

The global Christian Missionary Publications (2008) stated that there is no joy in premarital sex; it only brings misery and regrets. The men who will pressurize the girls for sex will be the Same ones to hate them (the girls) passionately later on .The Girls that give into a boy’s (or man’s) demands for sex only cheapens the girl before the boy or man. A girl that can keep herself and resist every sexual advance from her fiancé will be highly honoured by her groom on their wedding night.

In times past, the virginity of the female at her marriage called for a family celebration with appropriate gifts and visits from the in-laws. In some cultures, especially among the Yorubas, where “hawking” (street vending) and “night marketing” is common, young girls are learning to receive “passes” from men and acquire skills in dealing with these. Since the introduction of Western values and education in Nigeria, women have continued to acquire skills in dealing with males in a culture in transition. This has led to an increased tendency to delay marriage and an increased incidence of dating and premarital sex relationships. In some tribal cultures, in fact, it is more common today to demand pregnancy rather than virginity as a prerequisite for marriage. This is especially true among the educated young. Also, most of the popular music and advertisements glamorize sexuality, even though there is still a strong disapproval of open discussion of sexuality.

Hausa culture today is predominantly Islamic, making it difficult to distinguish tribal Hausa cultural norms from Islamic injunctions. Although Hausa culture has remnants of non-Islamic and distinctly indigenous practices that are part of their rites of passage, a marriage of convenience has evolved between Islamic injunctions and aspects of Hausa cultural norms that do not conflict with the religion. Islam is a way of life for its adherents, with rules and regulations guiding all aspects of life. Its strong moral code emphasizes chastity, and prohibits loitering, soliciting, and unnecessary intermingling of the sexes. Islam permits women to go out of their houses only to pursue lawful needs such as the acquisition of knowledge or to work and contribute to societal development. Marriage before age 18 was the norm among Muslim Hausa girls before the colonial era and the introduction of secular education. Most parents in those days preferred to marry off their daughters at age 12.

                 According to Maduro, (1989) every religion is situated in a specific human context in a concrete, determined geographical space, historical moment, and social milieu. Members of a religion share certain collective dimensions-social, economic, political, cultural, educational, military, etc. Religion is therefore closely linked and interrelated with all the dimensions of the life of a community. Because religion is part of a society, it follows that anything that affects people’s lives will affect their religion. Hence, religion affects sexuality.

Nigerian society is dominated by two religions: Islam and Christianity. They are the main source of our Nigerian religious value systems, which affect sexual attitude and behavior. Christianity, for instance, expects men and women to hold in high esteem the religious value of sexual purity. Girls are expected to be virgins at the time of marriage. Islam allows female children to be given in marriage before the age of puberty. These practices ensure that the female child is a virgin at marriage. Similarly, Christianity and Islam emphasize that adultery is unacceptable. However, our culture expects men to do what women are not to do. Our culture allows and even encourages a man to contract polygynous marriages. While extramarital sex is publicly frowned on, a man who engages in extramarital sex is privately hailed for his behavior. The same culture deals severely and ruthlessly with married women caught in adultery. In both the Islamic and Christian religions, a man can ask for and be granted a divorce if his wife is confirmed to have committed adultery. This is not the case if a wife discovers her husband’s illicit affairs with other women.

However, because of the culture of silence on sexuality, there has been little or no structured way of teaching Nigerians about sexuality.  The government has been working to get POP/FLE (population and family life education) into the schools’ curricula, and this effort is ongoing. Adolescents continue to be denied access to sexual information and services on a national scale. There have been some efforts by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to assure that marginalized groups have access to sexuality education. This effort is increasing as data from studies continue to show that five out of ten girls and seven out of ten boys have had sexual intercourse at least once by the time they leave secondary school. Therefore, this research work aimed at pointing out the influence of dating and premarital sex among students of college of education in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There appears to be a consensus among Nigerian researchers and observers that many traditional values are changing rapidly and for the worse (Naswen, 2001; Ezeh, 2001; Arumala, 2005 and Eruesegbefe, 2005). One area of life in which the decline of traditional values is obvious is in the area of sexuality. One major change has been the acceptance of pre-marital sex in a loving relationship.

Osisioma (1998) lamented that in Nigeria, culture no longer has a grip on the youth as our society seems to be plagued with decayed moral codes and values and so the sense of right and wrong is eroded. This seems to affect the youth, adolescents inclusive, more than any other group as this is manifested in the acceptance of sex before marriage, homosexual behaviour, lesbianism, abortion, drug addiction and indecent dressing. Apart from the blame apportioned to parents for their negligence as earlier mentioned, some people are of the opinion that adolescents are naturally open to the normal sex drive while this drive is incensed by the impact of permissive Western culture transmitted through the sexual stimuli conveyed by the mass media. Denga (1983) pointed out that sexually explicit movies expose young people to adult issues at an “impressionable age.” Others opine that the use of pornographic materials as well as knowledge and use of contraceptives, especially the condom that has been excessively advertised, has contributed immensely to the involvement of adolescents in sexual practices (Onuzulike, 2002).

        The researcher discovered that sometimes the students’ performances are on the negative as a result of dating and premarital sex relationships either among the students or with those outside the school. And these have gone a long way to hamper the educational development of the Nigerian youths in general and Kuje and its environs in particular.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of dating and premarital sex among students of college of education in Nigeria. Specifically, the study aimed:

1. to identify the kinds of dating and premarital sex among students of college of education.

2. to examine the causes of dating and premarital sex among students of college of education.

3. to examine the influence  of dating and premarital sex on the educational development and performance of the students.

4. to identify the possible means of curbing this menace among students of college of education so as to enhance and improve their academic development and performance in school.