An Examination of Barriers to Women’s Participation in Formal Education in Ife Central Local Government Area, Osun State

Abstract

The persisting gender gaps in access to formal education by women in Nigeria emphasize serious socio-cultural, economic, and institutional issues at the local level, reflecting an empirical gap in the current research that is predominantly based on national trends. In this study, the extent to which women have access to formal education was evaluated. It also established some of the barriers to access to formal education by women and explored the effects of these barriers on the individual growth of women and their socio-economic position. A descriptive survey design, data were collected from 120 respondents through a structured questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics and the chi-square test to elucidate the significance of these barriers. The results showed that, despite the comparatively high rates of access to formal education by women in the region, they still face significant challenges. The most crucial barrier was found to be financial constraints (mean = 3.33), then there was the necessity to combine income-generating activities with schooling (mean = 2.87) and social-cultural requirements (mean = 2.55). The chi-square test (χ² = 77.083, 24 = df, p = 0.025) showed that socio-cultural, economic, and financial factors have a significant impact on the access to education of women. The paper was able to conclude that these barriers are only overcome through combined initiatives like focused financial aid, sensitization of communities about the importance of educating their female members, and provision of gender sensitive learning facilities. These will facilitate access to education that is inclusive and equitable to women in the Ife Central Local Government and will also help in developing the society in a broader socio-economic way.