1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
There is this observation today that males are dropping out of secretarial profession. A critical look at this statement reveals that the secretarial profession is being dominated by the female secretaries in recent years the sole aim of every organization is its survival. As a result of this the employer of labor should make conscious efforts to ensure that the organization has the right to cheval caliber of employees who will contribute vigorously to the achievement of the organizational goals and who are also expected to portray a good image of the organization.
All these have a lot of impacts in an organization particularly when it comes to business. As a result of numerous and sensitive nature of secretarial profession, there is need for a balance labor force to save the employers from the problems of whom to employ and whom not to employ in the past secretarial profession was perceived to be for females only and that males who engage in it do it as a last resort. Some have the impression that secretaries are females who took down notes and correspondence like shorthand and transcribe on the typewriter for their male executives or managers.
It was also a synonym for females who organize and run small offices for their male employers they carryout all office jobs ranging from hiring junior staff keeping cash books and arranging for the day to day office routines, they are regarded as the channel of communication between their employers and the rest of the staff with constant demand on their ability, they are expected to be tactful, loyal, efficient discrete and maintain confidentiality they are expected to put in all their energy and enthusiasm to their boss interest, protecting him from undesirable demand and interruption, the above assumption about secretaries in the pas as “female who run office for males employers or boss is not the case these days. Analysis recently has shown that the advancement of secretarial profession was expanded and this is becoming more complex and challenging the roles of secretaries have increased tremendously to include other functions which are of great importance to any organization these made if possible for males to engage in the profession not as a last resort once more. At least in out of fire secretaries two are males.
National Secretarial Association of the United States of America defines a secretary as “An executive assistance, posing a good mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibilities without direct supervision display initiatives exercises judgment and make decisions within the scope of his/her authority”
Harding (1988) went further to define a secretary as “one who provides a full range of management support which calls upon in a variety of skills and abilities that would certainly not be prerequisite office staff generally”. In these definitions, we see that secretary is an important officer in any establishment his works has even become more technical especially the advent of computers and other machines.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The issue of down-turn in male students enrollment in secretarial studies department is reaching an alarming properties as industries employ more female secretaries this among others problems gave rise to this topic generally, the problem include that
- It is not known whether parents no longer afford to support their male children financially once they get close to adulthood.
- It is today a saying that males are becoming impatient with the unemployment status of the males graduates in the society. This gives us a serous concern.
- We do not known why employers of labor prefer female secretaries to their male counterparts.
- Some argue that the pronoun “she” used to mean every category of secretaries is an indication that secretarial profession is meant for females, the male students might be therefore feeling that there is no future to look forward to in the profession.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study is to investigate the factors responsible for down-turn in male students enrollment in secretarial studies department specially the study seeks to
- To find out the causes of decline in male students enrollment in secretarial studies department
- To determine if the image of secretarial studies is poor in the society
- To ascertain the attitude of males towards secretarial studies programme.
- To identify if male secretarial students graduate do not secure employment easily
1.4 Significant of the Study
The significance of this study cannot be over emphasized, the study can be parameter to check the incessant exist of male student enrollment from secretarial studies.
- The study will re-awake interest of male students enrollment in the study of secretarial studies,
- The study will proffer solutions on how to tackle the imbalance supply of quality secretarial staff for our industrial growth particularly now that secretarial functions are very challenging
- Furthermore, the outcome of this study will serve ass a reference for students of secretarial studies and lectures who wish to gain more knowledge on this subjects.
1.5 Research Questions
- What are the sources of down-turn in males students enrollment in secretarial studies department
- To what extent is the image of secretarial studies poor in the society
- What are the attitude of males towards secretarial studies programme
- To what extent do male secretarial graduate secure employment.
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