The effects of colonialism and the peripheral position of women in Third World countries aggravate effects of gender discrimination on women. Nigerian women, like their counterparts worldwide, want to participate in the development of their country. However, there are serious constraints that limit their effectiveness. One constraint is their limited access to higher education.
It was observed that attitudes towards women's education are beginning to change in Bendel State. This study focused on this observable shift in attitude, especially with families' socio-economic status, as well as general cultural and educational trends in society. The study examined educational policy formulation and implementation processes.
The sample for this study comprised of 150 questionnaire respondents, 13 interviewees, and some informal discussants/informants. Three research questions and eight hypotheses were generated for studying the current educational practices, comparing the levels of women's access, and examining the role of the policy-making process in determining women's participation in national development. The data were analyzed using simple manual data processing and a triangulation (integration) of the information gathered.
Findings showed that although women in Bendel State are ahead of most other women, and remain in the fore-front of higher educational attainments in Nigeria, there are still some shortfalls. In spite of recent efforts by government to boost women's educational opportunities, educational policy-making needs to increase women's access to higher educational programs. There is a need to improve information flow between government and beneficiaries of educational programs.
In line with results of previous studies, there are strong relationships between colonial, socio-cultural, political, and economic factors and women's educational attainments in Nigeria. However, unlike previous studies, this study found that government's educational policies are a major determinant of women's access to higher education, and thus limits their participation in national economic development.
The results of this study have significant implications for both federal and state governments in designing, developing and implementing appropriate policies and programs for women.
