Background to the Study
Entry upon the role of
husband and wife in an institution like marriage depends on being chosen as a
life partner (Oguegbe & Onuecheta, 1995). Omari (1989) saw marriage as the
coming together of a man and woman as husband and wife. In African society,
marriage is considered to be essential because it protects the morals of the
people and discourages adultery and fornication. It makes couple live
responsibly, promote peace and harmony among members of a society (Yahaya,
2009). In Nigeria, and within the Hausa folk specifically, it is generally
believed that the success of a family largely depends on the relationship
between the man and the woman (marital relationship), which is highly dependent
on choosing the right spouse.
However, selection of
marriage partner is one of the most important decision people make during their
lifetime. Selection of marriage partner can be as the mental process of
selecting amidst other individuals likeable partner in marriage or legal union.
O’neil in Oguegbe & Onuecheta, (1995) explained that, education is an
important factor in marriage partner choice in many societies. Buss &
Schmit (1993) posited that, in marriage partnery surveys, women consistently
express a preference for marriage partners who are of high educational qualification
as themselves. Also, Kalmijn (2001) revealed that, college graduates prefer to
marry college graduates like themselves.
However, this research gets its background from
the phenomenon that, marriage is an event of necessity, which the selection of
its partner is determined by various factors. One of such factors is education,
that brings about the need to study the relationship between education and
selection of marriage partner within the Hausa folk. The study will focus on
undergraduate students in Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The result of
which could be generalized to other similar situations.
