September 20, 2025Open Access

Violence Against Widows: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Harmful Widowhood Practices in Nigerian Communities

Key Points

Findings reveal varied experiences of violence against widows, indicating significant emotional and physical impact.
Twelve women shared their stories through one-to-one interviews, highlighting the complexity of widowhood rites.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis identifies four major themes related to widowhood experiences and societal attitudes.
The study suggests ideological patriarchy plays a critical role in both acceptance and perpetuation of violence against widows.

Abstract

Research on women's experiences of harmful cultural widowhood practices is limited even among feminists. The present study seeks to address this lacuna by qualitatively examining the accounts of 12 women survivors of violent widowhood rites in Nigeria. Participants took part in one-to-one interviews, and an interpretative phenomenological analysis identified four major themes of participants’ experiences. A variety of experiences in terms of nature, length of widowhood rites, level of violence, hostilities, and intimidation were recounted by participants. Ideological patriarchy was found relevant in explaining women's acceptance and active involvement in inflicting violence on widows.

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Cite This Study

Aborisade et al. (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d469ba31b076d99fa66121 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012251379427

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