CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Socialisation is a very important part of a child’s development as it is through social development that the child learns about himself in relation to other people. So that he understands how to reconcile his selfish urges with the needs of society which always comes first. This is as the needs of society aims at a total preservation of the entire community and it’s mutual development and survival. While the individual’s yearning sometimes runs counterintuitive to that and can be self destructive for the individual and by extension the society. An easy case is that of drug abuse which clearly harms just the individual directly but on a wider outlook it is the society generally who runs at a loss. This is why social development of an individual begins from childhood and at family level before the child is incorporated into the society through it’s indoctrinating machineries like school, church, etc.
In every society, socialization of the child always already begins with the mother. It is she who indoctrinates, both consciously and unconsciously, the child in the acceptable norms of the society. The father merely stands as a corrective figure of authority who punishes wrongdoing. However it is the woman who also makes the child understand the repercussions of his action and inactions in each cases.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Any case made for socialisation practically is always often in the hindsight when the child turns out not very well indoctrinated and so adds against societal structures. And whenever the argument is in this posture the question that follows is often which of the machineries of social development is to blame and we always are predisposed to going back to the beginnings. The research effort which has gone into this work is propelled by the question of the role of women generally in the social development of the child with Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state as a case study.
1.3 Research Questions
The questions that has guided this research work include:
1.3.1 what are the machineries of social development.
1.3.2 What are the factors and processes of social development.
1.3.3 What are the roles of women in the social development of the child.
1.3.4 Why are their roles very important in the overall development of the child socially.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The present research work aims at establishing the various roles of women in the social development of the child giving a detailed analysis of the processes and the various ways they play this role. The study also enumerates all other parties that play a significant part in the child’s social development and other kinds of development which are required for the general building of a complete individual
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study throws the needed light on the major agencies of the child’s development especially the ones that cater to his or her full social development. This way attention will be paid to the education of women in society; the argument being that when a woman who is a top role player in the development of the child is given the right kind of orientation and education not only during the years of socialization, she will in turn impact positively and qualitatively on the child who is under her influence.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
The work is predicated upon the assumption that the woman plays a very significant role in the social development of the child.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study only focuses on the social development of the child. Other aspect of child development are referred to as they may relate to the object of study. In describing the role of the woman in this respect, mothers will be used interchangeably with it as they are by their own description closer to the description than ordinary women in society.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
The major limiting factor of this research work is the time factor which hasn’t fully allowed the researcher the leave to fully engage the research problem as would have been desirable.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Social Development
For Wikipedia, social development is:
Social Development theory attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of society , that help the society to better realize aims and objectives. Development can be defined in a manner applicable to all societies at all historical periods as an upward ascending movement featuring greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, comprehension, creativity, mastery, enjoyment and accomplishment.
