1.1 Introduction
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women categorizing them as either masculine or feminine, while gender inequality refers to a state of being essentially unequal or in equivalent; not at par with the rest. According to UNESCO (2003), gender inequality is cause by discrimination and harassment which create states of inequality between individuals or groups of individuals (in this case men and women). Gender inequality is a very serious problem which affects almost all societies especially in Africa. Africa tends to suffer from this problem more due to how their cultural is structure in a way that promotes male superiority and female victimization. This is done by the type of role African cultures allocate to men and women.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Gender inequality exists in Nigeria because women are victimized by them not being given equal opportunities as their male counterparts. This hinders their efforts to give their best outputs in sectors like education and work thus slowing down the development process Nigeria.
The issue of gender inequality is one which has been publicly reverberally through society for decades. The problem of inequality in employment being one of the most pressing issues today, in order to examine this situation, one must try to get to the root of the problem and must understand the sociological factors that cause women to have a much more difficult time getting the same benefit, wages and job opportunities as their male counterpart. The society in which we live has been shaped historically makes the policy makers have consistently been male and it is important to examine all facts of the problem, but in order to fully tackle the issue on most recognize that this inequality in the work force is rooted in what shape future employees and employers − education. The research work will examine the inequalities in policy, actual teaching situations, admission to post-secondary institution, hiring and job benefits and wages, the situation will also tackle was is being done to solve this problem and what can be done to remedy the situation.
Monrovia Street is an area situated in Ungwan Rimi Gabasawa ward under Kaduna North Local Government with a total of least populated area in Gabasawa ward which is more or less like a GRA consist of civil servants, students and businessmen and women etc. The population has made up different tribe such as Hausa, Yoruba, Gwari, Igbo, Nupe, Katab, etc.
Those living in Monrovia are predominantly civil servants that are 80% of people are said to have gainfully employed either by government or private sectors. And of 20% of them are engaged in commercial activities ranging from trading, tailoring, hair dressing, etc out of which 15% where engaged by men only 5% is engaged by women base on the research. It was found that women were left behind in time of gainful employment as well as commercial activities in the area. In view of above a lot is expected to be done to bridge the gap between the two genders.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the effect of gender inequality on women employment opportunity.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that Men and Women are both equal and both play vital roles in the creation and development of their families in particular and the society in general indeed; the struggle for legal equality has been one of the major concerns of women movement all over the world. Therefore, the sense of insecurity, humiliation and helplessness always keep a woman mum our whole socialization in such that for any unsuccessful marriage which results the who is held responsible. Cultural beliefs and traditions that discriminate against women may be officially discredited but they continued to flourish at the grassroots level, this has been main of this research work.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of gender inequality on women employment opportunity using Monrovia Street, Unguwan Rimi in Kaduna State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To find out the effort of Government towards reducing gender inequality.
- To examine the implication of gender inequality in the society.
- To find out factors responsible for low employment opportunities of women.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the efforts of government towards reducing gender inequality?
- What are the implications of gender inequality in the society?
- What are the factors responsible for low employment opportunities of women?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There are no significant factors responsible for low employment opportunities of women.
- H1: There are significant factors responsible for low employment opportunities of women.
1.7 Significance of Study
Gender inequality is becoming prevalent in the Nigerian society thus making it important to study this topic. The research work major interest is to give an insight on how women have been victimized with the existence of unequal treatment of men and women and how it has affected Nigeria‘s development process. Gender inequality has slowed down development in Nigeria, if women were given equal opportunities as that of men not made to be victims, the country would be at a better position in terms of development. Equity is very important for any society to move forward and achieve some sort of development.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the effect of gender inequality on women employment opportunity using Monrovia Street, Unguwan Rimi in Kaduna State as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definitions of Terms
Factors: Are elements that brings about certain effects or results and also what could cause rural women not to embrace family planning services
Rural area: Refers to location outside towns and cities where women resides in low population density with less social and spatial mobility low social change; agriculture as the major preoccupation and less interest in family planning.
Methods: are procedures for accomplishing or approaching something or systematic way of involving women in rural area into family planning and established effectiveness of family planning.
