Woman-to-Woman Marriage in the South-east of Nigeria Versus the Prohibitory Regime of Same-sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013

Woman to woman marriage is a type of customary law marriage that is practiced in the South East of Nigeria which involves marriage between young females by aged female wives/mothers. There are variants of this marriage, but the focus of this article is on the variant which is founded on the need for geriatric care for the elderly. This article explores the origin, dimensions, benefits, and implications of the practice. It is contended that although the practice may have some salutary communal effects in traditional settings, it is inherently damaging to society and operates to enable the State to shirk its duty to provide care for the elderly. This article further argues that the various State Governments in the South East of Nigeria should take urgent policy initiatives and actions to entrench care for the elderly as a sure measure to efface the practice.