Not long ago, power imbalances is increasingly recognized in most relationships as some element that fuels inequalities and conflictamong intimate partners, particularlythose in heterosexual relationships. Hidden powers exist and structure many partners’ interactions despite their true and good intentions to each other 11. Repeatedly, partners speak as if they are fully equal, unaware of the ways subtle gendered power affects their relationships, which has led to some partners hurt and frustrated, but they do not know why 21. In Africa, power imbalance is one of the challenges that have held women back in society combined with religious, cultural influences and the patriarchal nature of the African society 12.

In this day and age, it is believed scholars are currently looking beyond individual behaviours to specific factors and/or conditions that influence behaviour. These factors may include but are not limited to - social norms, patriarchy, and hegemonic masculinity 5. The influence of these factors contributes to gender-based circumstances within intimate partners’ relationships of cis-heterosexual men and women as shown in various literatures 21. Gendered power imbalances, essentially, influence sexual interactions and decision making in which cases may increase a partner’s degree of vulnerability to gender-based violence 29. These influences determine peoples’ views and perceptions of social issues through a cultural lens which had made it to be inappropriate for women to criticize and/or challenge their subjugation presented in their partner’s decision without labels 14 This is predominant, especially, in highly patriarchal societies like Africa where women often find it difficult to express themselves for fear of appearing rebellious 17.

Similarly, these cultural expectations are shrouded in the ideals of society which can be considered stumbling blocks for successful contemporary relationships among the millennia 6. In most societies, the male partner is expected to be older than the female partner, further expanding the power differential, diffusing power imbalances in relationships particularly in Nigeria where age and seniority are of considerable importance in social life 3. In intimate rrelationships among cis-heterosexual partners, the female partner is by norms expected to honour, obey and submit to the authority of the male partner, a situation that sustains male dominance. As a result, many potential male partners seek for younger female partners who are even more vulnerable, in the misconception that they are more loyal and submissive.

Substantially, all these factors widen power imbalances among intimate partners which makes it difficult for female partners to discuss issues like sex, consent and sexuality with their partners especially when they are older and more sexually experienced 10. By this assumption, they are not able to successfully negotiate safe sex on equal footing with their partners including other life choices and decisions. The unequal partner is not able to negotiate choices or take decisions individually or collectively, this is because, in unequal gender relations, abuse is inevitable. Due to the following submission, 12 asserts that underlying all abuses exist power imbalances between partners.

The situation of power imbalances among intimate partners may differ across the urban, pre-urban and the rural areas and these differences can be associated with the influence of socio-economic circumstances, predominant cultural practices and local nuances that uniquely affect women. According to 22 the most dominate religious value system among the Muslims is Purdah and Izzat which encourages the segregation of the sexes and the incarceration of women to the family home. While the Christian religion sees an ideal woman as one who is humble, submissive, and does not question the authority of a man 4. These religious influences infuse power imbalances among partners of which can be argued to have contributory factor to myriads of gender-based violence and abuse.

There are about four types of abuses as identified in the literature and they are; physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and economic abuse. Physical abuse involves some physical contact between the victim and the abuser and it is well documented throughout history 13. Emotional abuse, however, is an indirect psychological maltreatment, mostly the non-physical abuse that victims experience at the hands of their abuser and/or oppressor. For example, verbal attacks and humiliation carried out to either control and/or diminish the victim by the abuser 13. This verbal degradation, harassment, and belittling are some of the strategies used to control or overpower a partner in a maladaptive relationship 20. While, eeconomic abuse touch on restriction of a partner’s financial resources by the abuser such as in giving out small amounts of money to an economically dependent partner, forcing the victim to be perpetually dependent.

Although, another form of economic abuse can be forced deposit of partner’s earnings into the abuser’s bank account, a situation that takes away cash from the victim against their will 26. The authors added that in this type of abuse, money tends to be an extension of the abuser’s power 26. In gender-based violence/abuse, it is believed that for every form of domestic violence, the abused feels powerless and believes that they cannot prevent and/or end the damage and pain the abuse has caused them 16. As an addendum to the forms of abuses expressed above, sexually abused partners may experience refusal of sex and/or use of force to obtain sex which overrides the concept of consent. An abusive relationship is marked by a decrease of freedom on the part of an abused partner, an attempt to control and keep the abused silent 20.

Besides domestic violence, other forms of oppression exist in unequal gender relations between female and male partners, in education, income-earning, and socio-economic status which is powered by male privilege and do not allow female partners to self-support and be in charge of their lives. Long ago, the United Nations Systems rolled out several treaties, frameworks and conventions to address issues around gender inequalities both in public and private spaces one of which are the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 1979, outcome document of the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China 1995, and the African Charter on Gender and Development. These documents remain crucial to understanding and addressing issues of gendered power relations both in policy framing and programmatic designs. In Nigeria, major highlights of 2019 includes news of intimate partner violence– from killing of one’s partners to serial killing of young women by a male sex predator in Rivers State 15.

A close assessment of the above-referenced circumstances offers a tale-tall a story of power imbalances in intimate partner’s relationship in the Nigerian society. An increase of intimate partners’ violence present with other forms of human rights issues such as making more orphan and vulnerable children, loss of societal values, and increased burden on the social institution 15. Following these evidences, this study seeks to examine power imbalances among intimate partners in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area (LGA).