IGBO MEN AND LATE MARRIAGES

    Often times, men as old as 40 remain unmarrie
d, not because they do not want to be married, but because they lack the resources to do so.
    Many families worry when male children fail to get married when they are due for marriage.

POSSIBLE REASONS ARE;

•  HIGH BRIDE PRICE (which can be cut down by the family) : In many Igbo communities, it is believed that marriage is meant for mature men, not boys. Therefore, only real men who are ready and well equipped financially can pay the exorbitant bride price and provide all the items in the list brought by the family of the bride, which includes goat, bags of rice, tubers of yam, clothes and cash for various categories of people. Sometimes it is even made a condition that the bride must train one of her siblings up to the university level.

• MEN POSTPONE MARRIAGE : Apart from the high bride price as noted, the cost of traditional marriage is also high as it requires the throwing of flamboyant ceremonies as may be required by the family of the bride. For such traditional ceremonies, the groom provides money for dresses to be worn by the bride and the bridal train, the bride’s mother and her friends and provides money for the elaborate cooking that would be done.

• SOME LADIES PREFER RICH MEN: Failure to get such husbands often attracts scorn from female colleagues and so, they would rather wait until rich men come to ask for their hands in marriage.
• WRONG SPOUSES:  Due to the past experience of past relationships that turned out sour. It takes enough courage for some men to start up another. 

    Late marriage has inevitably become more pronounced when unemployment hit the rooftop. With a large number of  graduates staying at home without jobs several years after graduation and for those who apprenticed for about eight years before they are settled by their masters to begin their own business, marriage becomes the least priority for some men.


IGBO KWENU !!!