| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation is a result of a study conducted in selected sites within the City of
Kisumu, in Kisumu District of Nyanza Province between 1999 and 2001. The study
entitled, "Single motherhood: Implications for the education of the girl child," focuses on
single mothers and education of their daughters. The general objective of the study is to
determine the impact of single motherhood on the education of the girl child. Since the
focus of the study is the relationship between marital status and the educational
performance of the girl child, the units of analysis is the single mother and her daughter,
however the analyses focus on the relationship between marital status and girls'
educational participation and performance. The key research question is: Does single
motherhood affect the educational participation and performance of girls? And related to
this question, what other non-mother related factors affect the performance of daughters
of single mothers? A theoretical framework consisting of four complementary social
change and social psychology theoretical considerations (social change, anomie, rational
choice and psychoanalysis) is used to facilitate an in-depth understanding of the dynamics
of single motherhood and its possible implications for education of the girl child. The study was conducted in five randomly selected clusters (urban villages) within
Kisumu City. The study used the social survey methods to collect data. Both qualitative
and quantitative methods were used. The qualitative methods were particularly used to
supplement the quantitative and to give the researcher an opportunity to learn from the
voices of the people affected by the challenges of single motherhood. Both interview
schedules and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with single mothers,
married mothers and their daughters and sons. A total of 546 respondents consisting of single mothers, married mothers, boys and girls from two-parent families and girls from
single mother families were interviewed using standard questionnaires. In addition, 12
FGDs, l3 In-depth Interviews (IDIs) with key informants and three case studies were
conducted. The data from the survey were analyzed using the Statistical Program for
Social Sciences (SPSS). The strength of association between variables was measured
using contingency coefficient, while the Pearson test was used to measure level of
significance. This study found that the interplay of societal, environmental and personality factors
rather than single motherhood alone work together to determine the educational
participation and performance of the girl child. The findings show that single mothers are
roughly six times more likely than married mothers to have daughters of school going age
who are not attending school. Their daughters are more than four times likely to drop out
of primary and secondary school prematurely compared to their counterparts from the
two-parent families. Daughters of married mothers are more than two times likely to
perform better academically than daughters of single mothers. Age at first sex is a key
determinant of performance. The study shows that girls who initiated sex between ages
10-14 are more than two times likely to perform poorer than girls who initiate sex at 15
and above years. In addition, the study found discriminatory practices that affect the
performance of the girls in schools. For instance, over 20 percent of the single mothers
want to educate a boy as opposed to a girl. The study makes a significant contribution by
adding to the body of knowledge on the sociology of the family. It is a critical attempt to
re-define the African family and to look at the girl child from an academic rather than an
activist perspective. The study concludes that single motherhood does affect the educational performance of
girls in many ways. It poses serious obstacles to girls' ability to perform well in school
because of inadequacies in the provision of school requirements and providing suitable
environments for children's education. At the same time, single-mother families are
viewed negatively by society. There are indeed significant familial, personal (mother) and
community factors that affect the educational participation and performance of girls from
single-mother families. These negative attitudes and reactions affect the motivation of
children, especially girls from these families. Single mothers have a significant role to
play in facilitating the education of their daughters. The single mother can playa key role
in the provision of a supportive environment for the girls' education. For the girl child from single-mother families to compete effectively on a level ground
with children from the two-parent families, the study recommends that obstacles to her
education that exist in her environment must be addressed through sensitization and
dialogue with mothers and the schools' system. Single mothers should champion the
creation of a supportive environment for their daughters' education, and this must include
communication and career guidance. The study also recommends rigorous education and
awareness-raising campaigns among single mothers to enable them to confront the unique
challenges that their families face. | en |
