GENDER-RELATED FACTORS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS OF UNDERGRADUATES IN SELECTED FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Purpose: The study assesses the gender related factors and entrepreneurial intentions of undergraduate students of selected Federal Universities in Southwest, Nigeria. It specifically, examined barriers to male and female entrepreneurial activities in the selected Universities; assessed how entrepreneurship education has impacted entrepreneurial intentions of female and male undergraduates in the study area; and evaluated how entrepreneurial intentions of male and female undergraduates differ in the study area. Theoretical Framework: The study's foundation was Social Feminist Theory (SFT), which clarified the widely held stereotype that women are subservient to men. This stereotype is said to conflict with the innate desire for entrepreneurship, and female students' inclination to start their own businesses may be viewed as a hindrance. In this regard, the study has attempted to conduct a methodical assessment of several publications concerning the relationship between gender and the entrepreneurial intentions of students at particular Federal Universities in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach: To guide the investigation, three research questions were developed. Similarly, three objectives and three null hypotheses were generated for the study. The study adopted the use of a cross-sectional survey approach, and structured questionnaire administration was made use of, to gather data. A total of 1,820 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents and were all recovered for the study. The study made use of a well-structured and validated “Gender Related Factors and Entrepreneurial Intentions Questionnaire” as the instrument for data collection. The data analysis included both inferential and descriptive statistics, such as; Mann-Whitney U Test, Multiple Linear Regression and basic percentages, counts, mean, and standard deviation.. Findings: The study found that female students faced more barriers to entrepreneurial activities than male students. The distribution of barriers is not the same across the two categories of gender. Entrepreneurship education is positively related to entrepreneurial intention and explains a variation in the level of entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students in the selected Federal universities. Female students showed less entrepreneurial intention than male students and suggests that the distribution of entrepreneurial intention is not the same across the two categories of gender. Originality/Value: The study, recommended among others that; Policymakers and stakeholders in entrepreneurship matters should give adequate consideration and preference to the female gender in terms of training and other forms of entrepreneurial education to foster better intention with them. Nevertheless, the male gender must not be ignored completely as this may result in a viscous cycle; University management, facilitators and lecturers should also improve on the techniques and methods used in teaching entrepreneurship in Nigerian universities to positively impact the entrepreneurial intention of university students; and Management should also use attractive methods and practical styles that will raise the curiosity of students to the field of entrepreneurship..