DARK AGE PERCEPTION OF THE FEMALE CHILD AND THE REALITY OF IT.

FEATURE BY: OYEDE Adedoyin Ayomide

The preference for male children is one of the major reasons for high fertility in most African countries. The preference is because of the perceived value of the sex to the parents. Male children are valued for their role in retaining family name, staying permanently near family residence, provision of old age security, and serving as a source of defense and social prestige to parents. When young male children render assistance to their parents in terms of helping on the farm, helping with businesses, running errands and to a lesser extent, performing some household chores. On the other hand, female children particularly assist their mothers in a range of household chores including cooking, washing plates and clothes, sweeping and cleaning of the house and everything that has to do with cleaning generally.

Parents’ perception of these benefits of male and female children influences their fertility attitude. The preference for son to perpetuate family name and also to influence family property is another major reason for preferring the male child to the female.

Education has been one of the major areas in which girls have been systematically disadvantaged than boys, simply because of gender discrimination which often begins at the earliest stage of life. Traditions, beliefs and practices are often at the root of this gender gap. Girls are kept at home to supplement family welfare by working and caring for siblings and household.

Apart from these, in many developing countries, daughters are withdrawn from schools at puberty for the fear of unwanted pregnancy, and are married off early to husbands they do not necessarily want.

A number of reasons accounts for the preference for education of boys relative to girls. Sons typically are responsible for supporting parents in their old age, this therefore, makes the education, both direct costs and opportunity costs.

Also, the thought that girls upon marriage joins her husband’s family and take with them the benefits of education makes parents to have little incentives to bear the cost of educating their girl child. This constraint to female education operate almost exclusively at the household level.

Africa has the highest number of out of school children and adolescents globally. However, girls remain more likely to be permanently excluded from education and at a high risk of being left behind. This reality calls for a redoubling effort to ensure education is equitable.