Nollywood actor Uzor Arukwe has said he does not actively promote marriage, pointing to the significant demands it places on women.
Speaking during an interview on the In My Opinion podcast, Arukwe was asked whether society had exaggerated the importance of marriage to women.
The 43-year-old actor said women often shoulder a greater share of the responsibilities within marriage, making the institution more demanding for them.
He also noted a shift in societal attitudes away from the notion that a woman’s value depends on her marital status. According to him, more women are now making independent decisions about marriage and family life despite societal pressure.
“I’ve never really been an advocate for marriage because I feel like it is more tasking for the woman. She’s the one who bears the children, takes the man’s last name, and has to deal with a lot of things. So, I feel society is now beginning to catch on to the fact that marriage doesn’t define or make a woman,” Arukwe said.
“Growing up, people would ask you why you weren’t married at 25 or 30 and talk about how they already had five children by that age. Now, there are even women who don’t want to have children. I’ve met at least two or three.”