THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111 e-ISSN: 2736-075X
Volume 23, No. 1, June 2025
Pages 1-21
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/5202.32.0110
Causes and Social Consequences of Paternity Discrepancy in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria
Princewill O. Okechukwu and Uche C. Isiugo-Abanihe
Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
The recent upsurge in media reportage of paternity discrepancy in Nigeria has created apprehension among men on the paternity of their children. Besides the claim by some media that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of paternity discrepancy in the world, more worrisome is the lack of reliable empirical knowledge about the prevalence, causes and consequences of the phenomenon. The present study, therefore, investigated the causes and social consequences of paternity discrepancy in Enugu, Nigeria, through a sociological community engagement approach. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were employed. The quantitative study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive research design using the multi-stage sampling technique involving a sample of 410 randomly selected respondents in Enugu metropolis. The qualitative data were collected with the aid of In-Depth Interviews (IDI) Guide among 22 purposively selected participants. The causes of paternity discrepancy include: premarital pregnancy, women’s desperation for child-birth, infidelity, multiple sex partnership, and poverty. The child, not the father or mother, is the real victim of paternity discrepancy; women were more tolerant of paternity discrepancy than men, and more likely to perpetrate it. Among the social consequences are marital dissolution, domestic violence, identity crises, and denial of inheritance right to children. The study concludes that paternity discrepancy is a serious social issue primarily caused by the actions and inactions of women, with devastating social consequences to family members, especially the child. Among others, the study recommended a review of the Child Rights Act to ensure that children who are victims of paternity discrepancy are protected.
Keywords: Paternity discrepancy, premarital pregnancy, identity crisis, marital dissolution, paternity fraud, Enugu