Determinants of Students? Career Choices in Secondary Schools from Southwestern Uganda; Insights from a Domestic Chores Perspective

The study is about how domestic chores affects students career paths to pursue secondary education. Much research on gender has not explored on how domestic chores affects students choice of study disciplines. Disciplines that students offer at secondary school level, have profound effects on students career and this mostly affects females who perform heavy domestic chores. Gender role socialization, differences and stereotyping that persist in homes and secondary schools impact on students choice of subjects, concentration, participation and educational attainment. Culturally, girls undertake heavy domestic work at an early age, more so, are expected to manage both academic and domestic responsibilities. This leads female students to performance poorly in class and relegates them to low quality courses. School curricular and teaching materials remain gender biased, reinforcing traditional male and female roles that deny female students to have a strong zeal for science subjects. Girls continue to be deprived of quality training in science subjects and mathematics at secondary level, yet, these subjects are the basis for individual and national development. Whereas female enrollment has increased at secondary level and even when the government of Uganda made the science subjects compulsory at ordinary level, the majority of girls are trapped in subjects that do not guarantee them automatic employment. Girls performance in sciences and mathematics lags behind that of boys and this is partly attributed to stereotyped gender roles in homes that rob female students of the opportunity and time to concentrate in class in addition to completing assignments and reading for tests and examinations.