A Critical Analysis of Gender Roles in Marriage in Igbo African Ontology

Abstract

Marriage is one of the fundamental institutions that shape and regulate social life in the Igbo society. The Igbo concept of marriage is unique in Igbo ontology. Among Ndigbo, marriage is not just a conjugal union but an essential social requirement to be fulfilled before admission into the society’s rank of respectable adulthood. It is a cross gender ritual. The Igbo marriage is basically between a man and a woman or many women, although there are interesting but rare exceptions. The respective genders have their culturally designated roles in Igbo ontology. There is a complementarity of roles with the male gender clearly dominating. But the female gender cannot really be said to be oppressed in traditional Igbo marriage as it also provides them with many privileges and stronger safeguards. Among Ndigbo, marriage is more of a social responsibility than an individual’s conjugal fancy. This work x-rays the traditional Igbo marriage, analyzing and portraying it in philosophical perspectives as it relates to the genders.