Educational disparity in Nigeria: A gendered analysis

This paper examines the inequalities and discrimination from which the female gender suffers. It is a major infringement of the rights of women and girls and therefore a major challenge to the development process. Gender can be referred to as the social and cultural construction of females’ identities in a given society which leads to socially constructed roles, responsibilities, obligations and attributes about the relationships between men and women. This study observes that to encourage gender equality and parity in learning, Nigeria must aim its struggles not merely towards education itself, but also towards the society’s cultural and utilitarian framework. The study alludes to UNESCO (2003) which stipulates that gender parity is attained when the same proportions of boys and girls, relative to their respective age groups, enter the education system, achieve the set goals and advance through the different lifecycles. The problem-oriented approach is adopted in this paper in appraising the government policies and interventions, since posterity is severely compromised as a result of the poor-quality education in Nigeria. This study is carried out using both primary and secondary data to conclude scholarly publications, books, journals and internet sources. This study, therefore, concludes that the socio-cultural imperatives must be properly located and dealt with, or else the issue of education and gender equality in Nigeria would remain unattended to. © 2020.