Abstract
The aim of the study was to profoundly gain understanding into specific cultural values that underlie traditional practices which pose as barriers to rural girls’ education in Zambia. A pairwise case study approach was used to identify and describe types of cultural values prevalent in the Bemba and Tonga ethnic groups of Zambia. A total of 28 interviews (16 focus group discussions and 12 key informant interviews) were carried out with community members and school heads in Choma and Kasama, to verify specific proximate barriers associated with school-going girls. Thematic data analysis was performed using NVivo 12. The study identified six broad values that the two ethnic groups mutually desired. Security and protection, purity and propriety of a woman, conformity, respect, generosity and hard work. Conversely, power and possession, and unity were specific to Tongas and Bembas, respectively. The value of “unity” portrayed more impetus than that of “power and possession” to restrain girls from attending school. While both social groups indicated desire to uphold these values, modes of value expression and collective practices were clearly differentiated. The study established that specific practices and norms chocking rural girls’ education are performed through the process of cultural value activation. Further, the study demonstrates that cultural values have underlying associations with rural girls’ education advancement especially at higher ages. Gaining detailed knowledge of cultural values underpinning specific social groups through case study research is important in order to inform the design of more effective girls’ education promotion interventions. Key word: Cultural values, rural girls’ education, ethnic groups, traditional practices, norms, Bemba, Tonga.
Highlights
Education presents some of the vivid examples of discrimination and barriers that women encounter
This study aimed to investigate the underlying cultural values expressed as practices that affect rural girls‟ school progression in Zambia
A pairwise case study approach was used to explore and identify types of cultural values practiced among the Bemba and Tonga ethnic groups and further understand the underlying essence of such values
Summary
Education presents some of the vivid examples of discrimination and barriers that women encounter. More than 62 million girls in developing countries face hurdles that stand in their way to achieving an education (Plan International, 2019). Poverty, the need for girls to help with family. Chores, cultural assumptions and norms, informed by underlying cultural values, frequently play a complex role in inhibiting girls‟ school attendance in many regions and communities especially rural ones. Access to quality education is one most potent equalizer of opportunity for both rural and urban adolescents. Community and family norms are typically anchored on various (and often competing) values. These values are considered to play crucial roles in motivating and guiding human action and to be constitutive elements in the construction of personal and collective identities (Thome, 2015). The traditional value emphases express conceptions of what is good and desirable, the cultural ideals (Hofstede, 2001; Markus et al, 1991; Schwartz, 1999; Yu and Yang, 1994)
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