Across many societies in Nigeria, widows of all age categories exist and
form a significant part of the population. One striking feature is the much
greater number of widows relative to widowers. A large proportion of these
widows are without formal education, and low level of income and
therefore lack economic empowerment. More worrisome is the traditional
widowhood rites observed by widol'(s irrespective of age, in the name of
culture. Though the experience of widows varies from one society to
another, the practice tends to be more entrenched in the rural communities.
Utilizing data from the survey of 942 widows in six Awori communities,
together with results of Focus Group Discussions among widows, in-depth
intervietvs among widowers and opinion leaders as well as evidence from
literature, the paper presents the cultural explanation for the practice, the
gender construction of death as well as the social construction of
widowhood. It examines the widowhood rites in the study area together
with their challenges. The widowhood rites include confinement indoor,
sitting on a mat, observance of vigil, wearing of dark clothes, use and
disposal of different utensils as well as taking of special bath. The paper
concludes by making recommendations for policy.