'Decenter marriage,' veteran Nollywood actress advises women struggling to find husbands, says children are not the only measure of a meaningful life

• Veteran Nollywood actress Tayo Adeniyi advises women in their late 30s and 40s to stop centring their lives on marriage and children if they are not happening naturally.

• The actress encourages women struggling to find husbands or have children to embrace fulfilment, happiness and self-worth beyond societal expectations.

• She warns women against tolerating unhealthy relationships or settling for marriage simply because they fear remaining single.

The actress made the appeal in a social media video, encouraging women who have genuinely tried to find partners or start families without success not to see themselves as incomplete or settle for unhealthy relationships because of societal expectations.

In a video shared on social media, the actress encouraged women, particularly those in their late 30s and 40s, to embrace a fulfilling life even if marriage or motherhood has not happened for them.

According to her, women who have genuinely made efforts to get married but have been unsuccessful should not feel incomplete or pressured by societal expectations.

"Hello everyone. I’m addressing this to the women in their late 30s and 40s who haven’t gotten a man for themselves. You do not have to get married, and you do not have to have kids either.

"If you’re in your 40s and you have tried your best to be married and you have not gotten married, pls I beg you, you can be whole without these things."

Adeniyi stressed that a woman's happiness and sense of fulfilment should not depend on having a husband or children.

"You can be a whole you without having kids or having a man in your life. Just get your life together. A whole life doesn’t have to be with a man or kids. It’s not a must to have children or to be married. Decenter man, decenter marriage, decenter children.

"If it’s not coming naturally, let it be and live your life. Don’t put up with nonsense because you wanna be married or have children."

She further urged women not to remain in unhealthy situations simply because of the desire to get married or become mothers.