Market women’s attitude towards child labour in Nigeria: The influence of parental and environmental factors

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the influence of parental and social environment factors on the attitude of market women towards child labour. The parental factors looked at included income, family structure, marital status, educational qualification, place of residence, while the social environment factors included techniques for coping with daily hassles, stressful life events, general health status and perceived social support. The study population was 300 market women from two major markets in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The research instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of scales on attitude towards child labour, coping, stressful life events, general health and perceived social support available to market women as well as information on demographic variables. Results indicated that market women in polygamous settings, those with no education, those living in rural and semi-rural areas, as well as those with a low level of social support, all had a positively significant attitude towards child labour, while market women in monogamous settings, those with education, those living in urban areas as well as those with a high level of social support, all held negatively significant attitudes towards child labour. Thus factors such as level of social support, coping mechanisms, level of education, health status, level of income, and stressful life events, all had an impact on the women’s attitude towards child labour. Also, the general health status and social support available to the market women had a significant effect on their attitude towards child labour. The results have implications for efforts to eliminate child labour in Nigeria, and perhaps elsewhere as well.

KEYWORDS:Child labour, market women, social support, Nigeria, coping mechanisms, attitude, parental and social environmental factors