University Don Advocates Measures To Tackle Women Marital Challenges 

By Olarewaju Falayi

A University Don and Professor of Guidance and Counselling at the Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti, Professor Mrs. Joyce Olufunke Ogunsanmi has delivered her inaugural lecture at the Institution’s 78th Inaugural Lecture series titled: “That The Home Be Happy: Marital Adjustment And Economic Participation Of The Women” took place at the University’s Auditorium on Thursday where she advocated measures to tackle women marital challenges at the home front. 

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In her Inaugural Lecture, Professor Mrs. Joyce Olufunke Ogunsanmi defined Guidance and Counselling as two inter-related sides of a helping profession. She explained that the subject of Guidance and Counselling are like a twin concept which can be regarded as two sides of a coin employed in helping or assisting individuals to overcome challenges and live happily in life. 

Ogunsanmi went further to state that, Guidance can be defined as a process that is developmental in nature, through which an individual is assisted to understand, accept and utilize his or her temperament, abilities, aptitudes, attitudinal and other psychological disposition patterns and interests, personality traits and values in relation to aspirations.

She further described Guidance as a process and not as either simple or single event but a series of actions or steps designed progressively towards a goal. She also stated that, it is an educational construct that concerns experiences which assist each learner to understand him or herself, accept him or herself and live functionally and effectively in his or her society.

She explained further, that, the process of Guidance presents services to individuals based upon needs, an understanding of one’s immediate environment, the influence of environmental factors and unique features in the environment. 

Also, Ogunsanmi while doing justice to the subject of Counseling, defined it as an enlightening process through a person, who helps another person by facilitating growth, development and positive change through exercise of self – understanding. 

She quoted the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy definition for Counselling as a situation where counselling takes place, when a counselor sees or attends to a client in a private and confidential setting, to explore a difficulty a client is going through. 

She maintained that Counseling takes place between two individuals, which are the counselor and a client in the case of individual counseling, the counselor and a small group of about eight clients with a common concern. It takes place in a professional setting. Counseling develops an interactive and helping relationship that allow an individual to become aware of him or herself and his or her reaction to behavioural influences in his or her environment. 

Ogunsanmi in her Inaugural Lecture, described Marriage as an institution that is legally or formally recognized by the Union of two people as partners in a personal relationship. 

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Quoting from the Encyclopedia Britannica, Ogunsanmi defined Marriage as a legal and socially sanctioned Union, usually taken place between a man and a woman, that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accord status to their offspring. 

She identified sexual gratification and regulation, division of labour between sexes, economic production and consumption, satisfaction, status and companionship, procreation, care of children and their education and socialization and regulation of lines of descent as the major functions of marriage. 

Professor Mrs. Joyce Olufunke Ogunsanmi while making her submissions during the inaugural lecture, recommended that, “the productive women should develop a harmonious, effective and mutually satisfying behaviour pattern that encourages good and effective companionship, affectionate intimacy, agreement on basic values of life and accommodation between a husband and a wife”.

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She advocated further, that, marriage programmes should be regular in community counseling clinics and centres to encourage high marital adjustment between spouses in communities and remedial therapy sessions. Also, that, the issue of conflict resolution strategies should be emphasized to resolve conflicts in the home when they occur. 

She advised women, most especially, young married women against accepting jobs that will take them outside their homes for too many hours beyond the normal working hours per day. 

She also encouraged holistic education of females, most especially for the girl – child to prepare them towards a good and blissful marital life in the future. 

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She called on the government at all levels to improve reproductive health services in communities, which in turn will help the employed women, particularly, the young ones who are still in their reproductive ages, on how to have easy access to health facilities and reproductive aids.

Equally, Ogunsanmi advised spouses to ensure their environment are encouraging and inviting for the growing girl-child and young women with the aim of maintaining a smooth home. 

Speaking further, she added, that, women should consider the training period, hazards and inconveniences of specialized jobs before going into some careers, so as not to allow any job have negative effect on family relations and activities.

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In her final recommendation, she called for the setting up of the Community and Public Counseling Clinic Centres across every levels of government in the Country with a view to provide information and render effective counseling services to individuals with marital concerns and other issues bothering on education, health and personal development. 

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