The Impact of Women’s Education on National Development
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to find out, in spite of the earlier marginalization of women, the contribution of women can make positive impact in the development of a nation through education. In this regard, the researcher seeks to attain the specific objectives:
1 Find out the traditional practices which hinder women from pursuing formal
2. Find out the contribution of educated women and uneducated women counterparts to national development.
3. Find out if the educated women are more involved in the decision- making process in community related issues than their uneducated counterparts.
4. Find out the social mobility levels of the children of the educated women and that of the uneducated women.
5. Find out if education is still potent factor in the social mobility of women.
6. Find out if the educated women enjoy higher status than the uneducated women during related community functions like festivals.
7. To find out the attitude of the educated women towards female education compared to the attitude of the uneducated women.
8. To make recommendations based on the findings of this research and aim at providing solutions.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEWED OF RELATED LITERATURE
CONTENT OF WOMEN’S EDUCATION
The subject matter of the women’s education should be selected at the national level and adapted to the needs of each society. The themes include, occupational enrichment, consumer economics, civics, health and family living. The content of women’s education should be the reflection of the society’s idea of the role assigned to women, namely, cooking, sewing, laundry for house-keeping and home management for rearing children {Teigeler, 1985). Other subjects are; science, technology, commerce, and arts. These are to make them able to compete with men in getting equal opportunity and income in the labour market. The content has to be the one that girls or women bring home; from school such as useful information about health and nutrition as well as vocational skill, that can be put to good service by the family. The women’s education scheme should be as a professional approach towards the eventual move to give ail Nigerians the relevant and necessary education for effective economic recovery and social justice. Ideally, women are to educate themselves, to acquire information and knowledge which will help them challenge norms, values and behavior pattern. Women need an education which will help them not only to read and understand the world, and master the 3RS (reading, writing and arithmetic), but be masters of their lives and makers of their own destinies. They need education which will help them acquire the necessary analytical skills to understand the fast changing realities of life, which will give them the confidence and strength to refuse to submit to conditions of indignity and inhumanity. It should be the type of education that will help women form strong groups so that they can gain more control over Their lives and break their silence and make them visible. The classes environment should create an atmosphere which allows women more freedom, which gives them more opportunities to realise full human potentials. . Women need an education which will not only help them in the search and acquisition of new skills and knowledge, but also help them to acquire and strenghten values like justice, equality, honesty, truthfulness and solidarity. It should also create or release energies in women to act with conviction and courage in their various struggles at different levels. Education should help women to develop an analytical and questioning mind and a scientific approach in understanding the realities around them.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain the impact of women’s education on national development. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of the impact of women’s education on national development
Summary
This study was on the impact of women’s education on national development. Six objectives were raised which included; Find out the traditional practices which hinder women from pursuing formal, find out the contribution of educated women and uneducated women counterparts to national development, find out if the educated women are more involved in the decision- making process in community related issues than their uneducated counterparts, find out the social mobility levels of the children of the educated women and that of the uneducated women, find out if education is still potent factor in the social mobility of women, find out if the educated women enjoy higher status than the uneducated women during related community functions like festivals, to find out the attitude of the educated women towards female education compared to the attitude of the uneducated women and to make recommendations based on the findings of this research and aim at providing solutions. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from where the enrolled participants all respondents were drawn from selected women from Oredo local government of Edo state. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
The inference that can be drawn from the outcomes of this study is that women education could play a crucial role in all aspects of national development. These include, enhancing the health and educational attainment of their children, moral growth and regeneration, development of high sense of patriotism as well as citizenship.
Recommendation
- Conferences, seminars, workshops and other sensitization programmes which include radio and television programmes should be organized by the three tiers of government, religious bodies, non-governmental organizations as well as successful educated women in the society to create awareness and educate the women on the benefits derivable from educating their female children. This will help them to change their negative attitude towards women education.
- Successful married educated women should be invited to give talks to parents to show that the female education helps them to even look after their families well since they have better jobs; hence their earnings are even extended to their families.
- Re-orientation programmes should be organized in local communities by nongovernmental female organizations where educated female professors and doctors will be invited as resource persons to present papers and give talks to urban and rural women on the humble, gentle and cultured nature of educated women in the society. Doing this will help to remove the old conception that educated women are arrogant and self asserting. 4. Religious bodies should as well assist in the orientation programme by organizing seminars in their churches to show how educated women have brought about positive changes in their churches through their humble nature and enlightened contributions.
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