An assessment of economic strains of Covid-19 lockdown measures on family-owned businesses: the implications on domestic violence in Awka urban

Abstract

The socio-economic implications of the Corona virus also known as Covid-19 pandemic has remained top in the recent academic researches and discourse, yet its implication on Family Owned Businesses (FOBs) in relation to domestic violence has remained relatively unexplored. The Covid-19 pandemic came with a lot of anxiety and stress on people and businesses; as such, it is expected that the level of domestic violence would rise considering the lockdown measure imposed during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, this present study assessed the implications of Covid-19 pandemic on FOBs in relation to domestic violence in Awka Urban, Anambra State, Nigeria. The study used a sample of 120 respondents selected through cluster and availability sampling techniques. Data for the study were collected through questionnaire distribution and data collected were analysed both descriptively and inferentially. Result of the study indicated that a significant proportion of the FOBs in Awka urban were economically strained due to the Covid-19 lockdown measures. FOBs dealing on essential commodities did not show statistically significant difference in economic strain compared to those dealing on non-essential commodities. The study equally found that domestic violence actually increased within the post-Covid 19 lockdown period, and the study equally found that domestic violence was higher within households whose FOBs sustained higher economic strain – implying that the economic strains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic was associated with increase in domestic violence within households that operate FOBs in Awka urban. The study recommended socio-economic support policies that could assist families to mitigate the strains sustained as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.