Culture and Gender Dimensions on Educational Pursuit in Higher Educational Institutions Narratives from Northern Central Nigeria

Access to basic education in developing countries poses a major challenge due to a host of cultural and economic factors. Cultural factors that are passed on inter-generationally prescribe and proscribe the extent to which men and women are provided an opportunity to pursue their education. The differentiation between genders often means that the female is provided with a lesser opportunity to advance her education. Underlying these cultural prescriptions is an economic dimension, which determines the extent to which students from rich and poor households are afforded an opportunity to pursue their education. In households that are more affluent, the female is more than likely to pursue her education at a higher educational institution and beyond as compared to those originating from poor households. This study interrogates the interplay of gender and cultural factors underwritten by economic factors that militates against females having full access to education. The study adopts a qualitative approach drawn from a wider study of 60 respondents through in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions (FGD) comprising equal number of males and females in higher institutions of learning in the North-Central Region of Nigeria. It is concluded that cultural and economic factors influence the extent to which females and males are being provided with an opportunity to pursue their studies at a higher educational institution.