Child rearing practices among single parents in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the child-rearing practices adopted by single parents in Anambra State, Nigeria, exploring how solo mothers and fathers navigate the complexities of family management within a distinct socio-cultural environment. This study adopted a cost-effective survey design in Anambra State, utilizing a multi-stage sampled size of 358 single parents derived from a population of 3,385. Data collection used a validated, high-reliability digital questionnaire covering demographics and parenting dynamics. Seven trained assistants distributed the survey via phone links. Analysis was performed through SPSS using descriptive statistics to answer research questions based on a four-point Likert scale, alongside inferential t-tests at a 0.05 significance level to evaluate five null hypotheses. The results reveal that single parents in Anambra State predominantly favor modern, flexible, and supportive child-rearing practices, yielding a high cluster mean score of 3.05 with a standard deviation of 0.95. Out of 15 listed strategies, 358 respondents agreed on 14 items, placing the highest emphasis on promoting cultural and religious values at a mean of 3.42 and tailoring discipline at 3.32. Conversely, they rejected the integration of traditional rituals, which scored a low mean of 2.42. Furthermore, a t-test analysis with a t-value of 0.631 and a significance value of 0.528 proved that male and female parents do not differ significantly. The study concludes that the shared socioeconomic and structural constraints of solo parenting override localized gender roles, leading both mothers and fathers to implement uniform, progressive family management strategies. Based on these findings, it is recommended that policymakers, community leaders, and social welfare institutions transition away from rigid, gender-segregated family frameworks. Instead, they should establish modern, localized social support networks and financial resource systems tailored to empower single-parent units in fostering healthy child development.