INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF GENDER DISPARITY ON STUDENT CAREER CHOICE USING SECONDARY SCHOOL IN AKURE MEYTOPOLIS IN ONDO STATE AS CASE STUDY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Gender, according to the 6th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2001), is the reality of being male or female. The family is a social group into which a kid is born and raised with all necessities, including his native language. Career choice is one of the most contentious subjects in school, as well as a non-essential component of life. A topic of great importance to many parents and teachers who believe that school ideals should be revised with this in mind. The shift in the social and economic environment, as well as a step toward dealing with the changing environment on a regular basis, as we experienced several issues.

Indigenous knowledge education occurred among the people prior to the arrival of western education and civilisation. As an agent, this type of education was not imparted in school. It entails the transfer of concepts that people have enjoyed from time to time (culture). Despite the colonial masters' and the federal republic of Nigeria's efforts to formalize her citizenship and bring her up to date. It has been observed that there is a difference in the schooling of male and female children as a result of gender belief or impact on the youngster (mostly the girl child). Girl children, on the other hand, are educationally underrepresented and underserved.

In a speech titled "towards bridging education disparity in the school," Unwuegbuzie (2008) remarked that "it is quite distressing to see that presently a lot of female youngsters are dropped out of school for flimsy reasons while their male counterparts go forward." To him, education imbalance refers to the unequal degree of profiting between males and females due to the absence of prior education. According to Unwugbuze, these women walk to the streets and are frequently exposed to the perils of life, with newborn moms among them emerging. According to Adeting (2009), if this educational imbalance related to gender is not addressed, the country would be thrown into the educational door, where Nigeria will affect youngsters in the field of job choice. The study focuses on the impact of gender on students' job choices. Parents and elders ascribe gender impacts to sales to youngsters. Gender impacts appear to be promoted by teachers and others in school management. In the past, it was uncommon to see a woman working as a police officer, driving a car, or even smoking in the neighborhood, but today, women are found in almost all areas of the labor force, including accountants, doctors, engineers, and even shoemakers, to name a few, and are no longer limited to domestic work.

Furthermore, females are perceived to execute fewer tiresome jobs, whilst males conduct more complicated duties such as chopping down trees, building bridges (local), and producing thatches, and they are thought to identify more with their mothers, whereas males are supposed to identify more with their dads. Furthermore, Iyam (1998) stated, "It is the academic disparity that exists between the male kid and the female child that has created a lot of anxiety." There are fewer women in positions of authority in government and non-governmental organizations. This mismatch has undermined women's capacity to compete in formal industries that males perceive as theirs." Born equally naturally with their male counterparts, female education is a natural right. However, According to Iyam (2014), for a very long period, the education and training of females in African and other developing countries has been subjected to purposeful neglect and deprivation.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In recent years, journals, magazines, and newspapers have consistently printed editorials about the marginalization of women in the country, particularly in the field of professional desire. At school, students develop their career goals (Nyugen& Blomberg, 2014). Evidence shows that gender inequalities in job desire arise early in adolescence, emphasizing the importance of early intervention. The urge to pursue (or not pursue) a job can begin in adolescence, when a range of macro- and micro-level influences might stymie subsequent gender parity in STEM disciplines (Sinclair et al., 2019, Stoet & Geary, 2018). According to Wang and Degol (2017), professional pathways and preferences are commonly determined throughout adolescence, and gender frequently plays a significant influence in this decision-making process. Regrettably, many parents would not push their female kid to attend school or pursue a job in a trade. According to Douglas (2002), well-educated parents would continually want to assist their children financially and morally in order to ensure that their children select the finest vocation in life, but those from low backgrounds are enticed into early marriage. Thus is against the backdrop that this study seeks to investigate the effect of gender disparity on student career choice using secondary school in Akure, Ondo State as case study.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of gender disparity on student career choice using secondary school in Akure, Ondo State as case study. Specifically, the study seeks to:

i.          To ascertain whether there are exclusive career for male and female gender

ii.        To determine  parent’s education have any effect on choice of career of male and female children.

iii.      To investigate whether gender disparity affect student’s decision making on career choice

iv.      To examine the level at which  social and cultural factors influences male and female gender during career selection in secondary schools.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study would look at the following questions

i.          Are there exclusive career for male and female gender in secondary schools?

ii.        Does parent’s education have any effect on choice of career of male and female children.

iii.      Does  gender disparity affect student’s decision making on career choice in secondary schools?

iv.      What is the level at which  social and cultural factors influences male and female gender during career selection in secondary schools?

1.5 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

The study is necessitated by the fact that at the secondary school age many students are adolescent who operated in conformity to parental rules and regulation in acting out their roles and in expressing their opinion students at this level of development needs close supervision and counseling in Egor to meet up to the expectation of life. The significant of the study is gears towards this need for the establishment of guidance and counseling services to help students in making career choice. Another significance is to inform parents, educators on the negative consequence of basing career on gender. Hopefully, it will be important to curriculum planners in the sense that in higher institution especially those who are in charge of guidance and counseling the need for female education.This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this topic and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other work or study.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study covered various aspects of gender on career problem and their effect on students in the secondary school in Akure Metropolis, Ondo State. In view of the fact that there are many secondary school in four secondary school was selected for the purpose of this project. Therefore the students and teachers in those schools constitute the subject of the researchers work. The research has interest in findings whether the age of parents has any significant effect on their attitude towards educating their children base on gender. 

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that it is a new discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only secondary school student in  Akure Metropolis, Ondo State. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for other secondary schools in other states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Gender: Being male or female

Sex Role: Role or duties assigned to various seas or gender

Sex: Role stereotype: the standard set by the society as to what part male and female individuals should play, which continues for along time and form the basis for relating to people.

Career: The chance of occupation in which one engages

Influence: This is when the pressure of other person or factors is affected the behavior of the child.

Courage: Quality of being filled for the opportunity

Equally beautified: This means that what every been share between males and female should be equally distributed.

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