NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF GEND~ER
AND
DEVEL\r)p"'lE:~·T
E.DITOR-IN~HIEF -Kayode Animasaun,
General Studies Department,
Federal Polytechnic, Bida,
Niger State.
EDITOR/HEAD PUBLICATiONS UNIT - Sunday Ogala
General Studies Department.
Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State.
;::~T::~'.A. l ~niTORS
Dr Oha obocoomma - Univ1arsity of lbadan
Dr Adewuyi S. Adetunji - The PolytechniC,lbadan
Dr Ike Nwachul~wlJ - NCRI, Baddegi, Bida.
Dr Miri Angela F. - University of Jos, Jos
A. Akin Farnilusi _. NERDC, Laqoe
ED.I:ORIAL ADVISER:- Prof M. A. Daniyan
Federal University of Tecnr oloOY,
Minna, Niger state.
"- .....
--f.---- .•..•.-------.~--.....,------------.-------public.ation of the Gender Empowerment Network Through Literacy Exercises - GENTLE _._-.--
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CONTENTS Page
ZAYNAB ALKALI 6
Female Empowerment and National Development
oGALA SUNDAY 12
Appropriating Women Empowerment for Societal Peace
ANIMASAUN KAYODE 16
Re-defining women fora better society
ADEWUYI SAMUEL 25
Mainstreaming and keeping women afloat in National Development
AWONIYI SAMUEL ADEBAYO 35
Sex differences in Academic Performance
MIRI ANGELA .F. 39
Functional Literacy and Woman Empowerment in Nigeria:
A desideratum. Of 211t Century
MOHAMMED SALISU ALFA 53
Assessment of female students Performance in selected
Science Courses.
OBASO~ E. PHILLIPS 60
The psycho-Soci'ological and Biological Interpretations
Of Gender Differences in Mathematical Achievement
OROGES.A 67
The National Policy on population and its Educational
Implications for 'women Development.
ODEPIDAN VICTORIA 75
Adjustment Strategies Towards Literacy Campaign
BALOGUNFEMI 78
Gender and performance in Productive and Receptive
Skills of First Year Secretarial Studies at Auchi
Polytechnic, Auchi Edo State
OGIDI DIAMOND PREYE 82
Girl - Child Education and Sustainable Development in Nigeria:
Problems and Prospects. -,
ADEKOYA A. E AND OLADELE L O. 92
Gender Issues in Environmental Conservation Policies .
ANIMASAUN KAYODE AND HABEEB AISHETU 96
Female Students Attitude to Campus Politics
!'t. AKIN FAMJLUSI 103
,Population/Family Life Education: Nigeria Traditional Practices and
The Reproductive Health of Women·
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ADEYEMI HENRY RINDE YEMI
Smoking and Drinking in Women'~ QiJd Bearing Ages .
BOLARIl'r'WA L A 114·
Female Participation in Sports: Bleaia& or Curse?
TERESA·MWUESE NMA¥ 117
Female Labour Particip.1tion in Manufacturing
Finns in J05Metropolis.
K.O. AKINTERINW A AND A. S. I'AWEIIINMI 124
Women and the UIbaaLabourMalbt in N"Jseria
S.A. ADEWUYI 128
Male Involvement in Domestic A8IIin:'1aDe Rdlections
IKE NWACHUKWU AND YIJIfKA NWACBUKWU 135
Women and Agrlcu1tnre: A IlU4y 01Women's Access to
Agricu1twal Technology: in the Central Zone of Nigeria.
ANGELA F. MlRl 140
Molara Ogundipe - Leslie: A Female Mecapbysical Poet of
Contemporary Times.
ABDULLAW J.MOHAMMED 150
Nigeria Female Writers and National devdopm.ent
AKINSOROT AN A. O. i AKINBILE L. A. 156
Factors Affecting Women's Involvement in
Agricultural Production in Iwo L G. A. .
Osun State, Nigeria.
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WOMEN AND THE URBAN LABOUR MARKET IN NIGERIA
K.O. AKINTERINW A A_NDr A.S. FAWEHINMI
ABSTRACT
Nigeria is a rapidly urbanizing Country with tremendous potentials for a more
sophisticated urban labour market. This paper examines issues that limit
women's access to formal jobs in urban sector, identifying issues like domestic
responsibilities, education and gender roles amongst others as casual factors to
the existing situation. I conclude by advocating for an easier access for women
into formal urban labour market.
INTRODUCTION
Urbanization is highly related toindustrialisation., so is there a close correlation between the level
of urbanization and the level of development i.e. the richer countries tend to have a greater
proportion of the population living in urban areas. Coming to most third world countries, like
Nigeria, industrialisation is said to be limited. The existing factors in such countries provide little
employment, compared to those in developed countries. The industries also import technology
development in the w.est. In Nigeria today, there is the problemof rural-urban migration, causing
'inequalities. Rural families send their sons and daughter to cities, so that they will be able to
partake, however little, of its riches, The urban connection.
Women in the formal sector
The labour force of the formal sector can be enumerated and has shown that the number
involved is very minute when compared to the total population of women. Women have been
found to be very productive and hard working but this is not so in the formal sector, which could
be attributed to some constraint. In the rural areas, women play prominent roles in agriculture,
and in addition to farm work, process food, fetch wood and water, cook food, take care of children
and husbands and engage in retail trading which becomes a source of income (WIN, 1987).
In the urban areas, formal education is regarded as a license for participating in wage
employment i.e. joining the urban labour force). (Mundi ,1996). According to Mundi (1996), in a
study carried out, reported that data revealed that the majority of the women in the labour force
attalned low educational and skill training, causing them to be employed in low skill occupation
where they put in high'man-hourfor inadequate rernuneratlon.
The general employment situation in urban areas force women to accept jobs for which they are
under-utilized and underpaid, resulting into what ILO (1992) referred to as the "working poor"
, people, who are working very hard and strenuously but the employment is not productive in the
sense of earning them income which are up to modest minimum their primary concem is to ear~
a1ittie money in order to contribute to the family budget.
Table 1: Distribution of Women Labour Force according to main occupation and mean
man-hour input per day. "
Occupation type No. of Women Mean Man hour input/day %
Trading , 157 11.2 35.6
Farming " 68 11.7 16.0
Clerical 34 10.4 8.0
Civil Servant 31 10.5 7.3
Teaching 29 10.3 6.8
Nursing 27 9.9
, 6.3
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:s.am Stress· ·12 9.6 2.'
Others 73 8.8 17.2
I\ppl(cant "Nil 6.4 NIl
Total 425 10.2 100.00
I
Sources: Mundi (1996), Characteristics and utilisation of women labour force in Jos
Women have been found to be very useful in production in informal sectors but not in the tormal
urban labour market. There are indeed constraints to their performance.
Urban Labour Force
. r .
Arowolo (1985) has defined ,labour force or economically active population to be that part of ,the
population between (15 and 65 years) that work for payor profit including those looking for such
work. Despite .the rising rate of increase in the labour force as a result of the rising growth rate of
the population and school enrolment, there has been no relative increase in job opportunities.
In tropicat Africa including Nigeria now, there is mass unemployment among plimary school
leavers and increased unemployment among leavers of tertiary institutions (Oluwole, 1993J.1t' is
however, difficult to give an accurate estimate of the extent of urban unemployment in 'Nigeria
because of lack of reliable census information. Bos et al (1992) projected a femaletJrban labour
Jorceof about 28 million for Nigeria in 1994 with majority living in the urban environment. While
the fouith National Develppment plan account for about 3 million of these workers holding paid
position in the modern sector of the economy. '
'Constraint· .
The women's position in the family and the community is determined by traditional practices and
customs. They are seen to perform the reproductive role of wife and mother as well as prQductive
role of wage earner. i:l)ey are therefore hit harder by under - and unemployment than their male
counterparts as the very few openings in the industrial sector is offered to men first. There are
instances where a female performs very well at an interview but for the fact that when she is
employed, she will have to go on 'maternity' leave, 'casual leave etc believes to slow down the
pace of work and perhaps require transfer to follow her husband, as excuse prefer her male
counterpart but is it a crime? . .
.Religious practicesrtribal beliefs
In Muslim societies, they have the practice of protecting their women from the outside world,
known as PUfdah (the wearing of veil), so they are rendered useless or rather unproductive and
probably wasting away .especlallyit they are good materials for a certain job. Some are quite
intelligent and will perform-as good as their male counterparts, (if not better if given a chance) _
Political Constraints:
The political science is invariable dominated by men women are encouraged to get Involved and
a~~terminated i·fthey do so, what can women do to be saved? Now that the nation Is returning'to
democratic rule, even where women- have equal voting right few women are represented in
government, there wm be a few or none at all to represent their interest. Hence, tIleir needs are
not met, as men are not aware otthern, Women· also lack necessary infonnatJOnconceming
opportunities.
These. Consequently are not"being involv~ in planning or deciSion-making processes.' Mitter
(1989) ju~fied the connnuat exclusion of women, by the stereo typed notion of the roles of men
and women to the home and economy. '
DiscriminatiVe Polioies
Even the few employed women are dlscnminated against, where there is no allowancefo~
.chfldren or housing allowance.
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•
Like lrukwu (1987) noted, tftat if a woman obtains a senior position, she has to work hardto prove
that she got it on merit and deserves to keep it. Because they are few and,far between, society
has yet fully to acceptwomen in the management position as matter of routlne.
"Educational Constrain
In the past, girls\were not given the same opportunities in homes as the boys when it comes to
education. This affected the number of women in the formal sector for a long time until the
awareness came that they should be given equal chance. Hence, the gap is reducing.
As much as women are intelligent and willing to go on ahead, there is a limit to which this can be
done. They still need time to manage their homes, take care of their husband and children. The
child bearing and rearing ages of these women ties them down, so they cannot really go on to
further their studies. Those that forge ahead, testify to the understanding of the man and children,
so where this is not, it was crises all the way some evenlost their homes, .as they struggle to
become; career' women.
In our society, no matter what achievement you have without a 'successful' home to show, is
nothing and lesser respect is accorded such women, which of course have been why they opt for
the comfort of a' successful' home.
Conclusion ,
The world population ls increasing very fast, while that of developing countries is even at a faster
rate with its concentration in the urban areas, hence increasing the labour supply, policies shoulQ
, be formulated to get more women of the total percentage into the urban labour force. '
For where women have legal and social rights -to paid employment in the modern sector,
political power, Ifamily planning - they tend to have smaller families, which- is the most cost
effective way of attaining a goal of smaller and healthier families Onah, 1996). Women should be
given a chance to prove their worth, so that she is given the ability to control her own destiny in
the formal urban labour market. '
iS allows them, like the man, to show that they are capable and competent It will get them
are interested ~nd involved in the nation building process as well the move towards democracy.
~ nabling them to see it as 'our' duty to make it work.
"Involve a woman, you have gotten a nation", They encourage their own children especially
daughters, for they have a greet influence on them, They should also be given a chance.
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· References:
Alan Gilbert and Joseph Guglor: The urban labour market in cities, poverty and development -
urbanisation in the third world (second edition) pp. 87-113.
Arowolo, O.D. (1985): ·Population changes and labour force supply' in Orubuloye and Oyenaye
(Eds.,) Population and Development in Nigeria. Ibadan: NISER.
Bos, E. and Levin A. (1992) World population projections, London Hopkinson University Press,
for World Bank,
International Labour Organisation (ILO). World Labour Report, 1992.
lrukwu, E. (1987): Women in Nigeria Broadcasting: A study of their access to decision -making
positions in Women and Media Decision -Making.- UNESCO.
Mitter, S. (1989): In Ester Boserup's Women Role in Economic Development, London Earthscan
Publications Ltd.
Mundi, R. (1996) Characteristics and utilization of Women Labour in Jos in: Yomi Oruware-(Ed).
Women Development and the Nigeria Environment Ibadan vantaqe publishers (int) Ltd Pp. 247- .
252. .
'Oluwoye, Y.A. (199~): Education Employment and Human Resources: Development at Local
Government Level. Lagos for UNDP.
Onah. F.O. (1996): Women and Emptoyment Situation in Nigeria Urban Environmentjn Yomi
Oruware (Ed.) Women Development and the Nigerian Environrnent, Ibadan VantaqePubllsher
(int) Ltd. Pp. 23;1-239.
W.<>.rneniF!~igeria (1~87): the Win document, Samaru,Zaria.
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