UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF SINGLE MOTHERHOOD IN DRIVING STREET HAWKING IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The family continues to play a very significant role in child upbringing globally. However, there is a growing worry over the decay of this vital agent of child socialization. Most pressing of this concern is the way single mother households are fast spreading especially in Africa and Nigeria in particular. This study examined the problem of single motherhood and street hawking in Port Harcourt City Local
Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. The main objective was to provide empirical evidence concerning how single motherhood leads to street hawking in Port Harcourt. The study made use of a sample of 160 single mothers drawn using snowball sampling technique. Data were gathered from the respondents through a self-designed questionnaire. Adopting the Marxist conflict theory as its theoretical framework and the simple percentage method for the data analysis, the study revealed that having children outside wedlock coupled with high incidences of divorce are major causes of single motherhood in Port Harcourt city. Also, the study
revealed that lack of money to support children and absence of a father figure in the household are major factors that contribute to single mothers sending their children into the streets of Port Harcourt to hawk. Given this finding, the study recommended, among others, that implementing comprehensive sex education programmes and strengthening social safety nets are vital interventions to address the root causes of single motherhood, empower individuals to make informed reproductive health decisions, and alleviate economic hardships faced by single-parent households in Port Harcourt city.