Entrepreneuriat et gestion des organisations

Gender Assessment of Nigerian Youths’ Perceptions and Attitudes towards Home Economics-Based Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Ololade Rachel A and Adejumo Taiwo J

Entrepreneurs are the seeds of industrial development and the fruits of industrial development are greater employment opportunities to unemployed youths. The study aimed at assessing the Nigerian youths’ perceptions and attitudes towards home economics-based entrepreneurship as a sustainable carrier for wealth generation, determine the gender differential in home economics as a carrier and examine the problems associated with home economics as a career. The study was carried out among the Nigerian youths in three local government areas in Ogbomoso, Nigeria where 160 youths were interviewed with the aids of structured questionnaire to obtain information from the respondents. Mainly descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data which include; frequency, percentages, and weight mean. From the analysis, it was revealed that majority of the respondents were youths between 21-25 years old. The predominant religion was Christianity meanwhile, larger percentage of the respondents have their years of schooling between 16-20 years, single and residing in urban area. Likewise Yoruba happens to be the highest tribe among the three major tribes in the country such as Hausa and Igbo considered in the study. The study also revealed that, 74% of males and 71% of females had unfavorable attitude towards home economics as a career. The respondents had an unfavorable (negative) attitude towards home economics as a career because most of them didn’t want to live on home economics as a means of livelihood. Their socio-economic status had nothing to do with attitude towards home economics as a career. Less than 20% each of the respondents believed that there are high differences between male and female role in home economics. They were also able to identify some problems attached to home economics practices.