Family Roles

• The majority of families in Nigeria still have men as the head of households and the division of labor within the household is gendered. In traditional families men are farmers or other types of laborers, while women may work in the home and help out with the harvest.
  
  

Large Families

• Large families are quite common in Nigeria. The majority of the population cherishes children as part of their culture and so most families will have between four and six children. Reproduction is so important for most Nigerians that it is considered to be the main function of marriage.
  
  

Polygyny

• Polygyny, the most common form of polygamy, where husbands have multiple wives, is still practiced in many parts of Nigeria. However, divorce is so frowned upon, that even if a couple doesn't practice polygyny, a woman may still be very forgiving of affairs.
  
  

Marriage

• Marriage is one of the most important social customs in Nigeria. Marriage gives an individual respect and status, and therefore many single people are pressured to marry. Marriage is also viewed as a way to make one big family out of two families.
  
  

Marriage Troubles

• If a couple should want to divorce, the two people involved usually consider the feelings and roles of other members of the family before divorcing. Traditional Nigerian marriages have a very low divorce rate.
  
  

Divorce

• If a couple should divorce, the process is quite simple but costly. In most instances, a lawyer is not involved, men retain the property and the children usually stay with their father. In elite marriage, property division may be discussed, and if they couple has a baby, the child usually stays with the mother until it can go live with the father.