Factors that influence social acceptance of widows in the Kikuyu culture (a case study of Kiserian location)

Abstract

Widowhood has become a big social challenge in Kenya due to the escalating death rates caused by HIV/AIDS pandemic and motor accidents among other factors. Men are also said to die in greater numbers because of the nature of their work. The death of a husband plunges his family into poverty forcing the widow to assume all the responsibilities. The purpose of the study was to assess the factors that influence social acceptance of widows in Kikuyu culture. It sought to answer the following questions; what is the level of social acceptance of widows in Kikuyu culture?, what are the socio- cultural factors that influence social acceptance of widows?, How does social acceptance influence the coping mechanism of the widows and in which ways is social acceptance influenced by socio-economic status of widows. The study used purposive and stratified random sampling technique to select one location. A total of one hundred and four widows were registered in the entire five clusters where we managed to interview ninety one widows. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques.