Empowerment of Textile Market Women in Southern Nigeria
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Date
2013-05
Authors
Adekanye, E.A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
Abstract
necessary for building the awareness resources and practical strategies to improve life time experiences capable of enhancing direct access to knowledge and power. However, it is perceived that the prevailing patriarchal social system limits women's access to information. Also, related studies on the relationship between information behaviour and socio-economic empowerment of textile market women in Nigeria have probably received inadequate empirical attention. The study therefore investigated the information behaviour
and socio-economic empowerment of textile market women in Nigeria.
The study adopted survey research design and purposive sampling technique to select two Geo-political Zones in Nigeria. Disproportion stratified random sampling technique was used to select specific markets for the study. One thousand and six hundred (1,600) respondents were randomly selected from 22 markets within 11 states from Southern Nigeria. Questionnaire was used collect data to elicit information from 1,556 (97.9%) respondents. Correlation, multiple regression and Pearson Product Moment Coefficient (PPMC) were used to test the hypotheses. The questionnaire was validated. The reliability coefficient for information need was 0.71; information seeking 0.71; information sourcing 0.89 and information use was 0.95 while socio-economic empowerment was 0.95 using Cronbach alpha.
Findings showed that there was a relative influence of information needs, seeking, sources, and use on the socio-economic empowerment of the textile market women. It was also discovered that information seeking has the highest significant influence on the socioeconomic empowerment of the textile market women (=0.48; t= .16.64; p=0.000<0.05). Next to this was information sources (=0.30; t=13.05; p-0.000<0.05) and (dentification of information needs (=0.14; t=5.05; p=0.000<0.05). However information use had no significant influence (=0.01; t=0.81; p=0.859>0.05). The findings further indicated that there was a joint relationship between information needs, seeking, sources, use and socioeconomic empowerment of the textile market women (R=0.49). This value accounted for 23.9% of the total variance in socio-economic empowerment of Nigerian textile market women (adjusted R2=0.239).
The result indicated that the Nigerian textile market women were innovative,dynamic and creative in their entrepreneurial activities when they are empowered with information, which invariably would bring self sustainability and societal development. The study concluded that the information behaviour of Nigerian textile market women in terms of needs, seeking, and sources have significant influence on their socio-economic
empowerment. Thus, the study recommended that Nigerian market women should be encouraged to participate in economic activities that will improve their livelihood, access to timely, accurate information available that can enhance their capacity building, participation and positive attitude toward development. Government should encourage dissemination of information in various Nigerian local languages and dialects to meet the information needs of textile market women in Nigeria.
Description
Staff Publications
Keywords
Information-seeking behaviour , Information needs , Textile market women , Socio-economic empowerment
Citation
Adekanye, E.A (2013) Empowerment of Textile Market Women in Southern Nigeria.