Journal of Christian Religious Studies

The study focused on parental attitudes toward children’s education, patterns of financial and material educational investment, parental expectations and aspirations, and the influence of community norms and traditional beliefs on educational decision-making. This study examined gender preference and educational investment in male and female children among parents in Sasa Community, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey research design, data were collected from parents through a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed, using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages and charts. The study is anchored on Gender Role Theory, which states that societal expectations and cultural norms shape beliefs about appropriate roles for males and females. The findings revealed that while most respondents personally endorsed the equal value of educating sons and daughters and expressed high aspirations for girls’ educational attainment, actual educational investments such as school choice, payment of school fees, and provision of learning materials continued to favor male children, particularly in resource-constrained situations. The study also found a noticeable gap between individual beliefs and community-level practices, as a substantial proportion of respondents reported that cultural norms and traditional expectations still influenced preferential treatment of sons in educational investment. The test of hypothesis found that cultural and social perception significantly influenced the general attitudes of parents towards child education (F = 19.809, p < 0.05) while, parental expectation did not have significant influence on the general attitudes of parents (F = 1.131, p > 0.05). Overall, the results suggest that the study area is experiencing a transitional shift toward gender equality in educational attitudes, although entrenched socio-cultural and economic factors continue to shape household decisions. The study concludes that positive parental attitudes alone are insufficient to guarantee gender equality in educational investment without supportive socio-economic and cultural structures. It, therefore, recommends community-based sensitization, gender-responsive educational policies, and targeted financial support for girls’ education to bridge the gap between attitudes and practice and promote equitable educational opportunities for both male and female children.

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