Low Income Adolescent Mothers' Perception of Education as a Means of Women Empowerment
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Date
2015
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International Journal of Gender and Development Issues
Abstract
Teenage pregnancy is a major social problem globally because of the consequences and
challenges that such a teenager undergoes. The fact that the adolescent mother is also a child
that lacks the mental and physical capability to raise a child and meet the demands ofparenting
also compounds the problem. This study examined low-income adolescent mothers' perception
of education as a means of women empowerment. Findings may contribute to the psycho education and empowerment needs of the adolescent mothers. A sample of 100 adolescent
mothers (15-19 years) purposively selected in three different Local Government Areas in Lagos
State responded to a self-structured questionnaire. Three hypotheses were tested using Pearson
Correlation analysis .Findings revealed a significant relationship between the perception of
current status of low-income adolescent mothers and their need for empowerment. A positive
significant relationship was observed between women empowerment and perception of
education (rxy (100)=0.390,p <0.05) as well as perception of vocational training (rxy
(100)=0.449,p<0.05). Authors concluded that the adolescent mothers perceived their present
status ' as disadvantageous, in the areas of economic selfisustainability and education
opportunity. Empowerment programmes for the adolescent mothers particularly vocational
training and access to soft loan/financial assistance by Government and Non-Governmental
Organisations are recommended
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Keywords
Adolescent mothers, Perception of education, Women empowerment