GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION AS COMPONENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AMONG ATHLETES IN SPORTS COMMISSION, CALABAR

Abstract

The study employed survey research design. The study was carried out in Cross River Sports Commission, Calabar. The purpose of this study was to examine gender equality and social inclusion, as component of human development among athletes of Cross River State Sports Commission Calabar, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Survey research design was considered most suitable for the study. The population of the study comprised all athletes of the Cross River State Sports Commission. A sample size of one hundred and four (104) respondents was used for the study using census sampling approach. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by relevant experts. Cronbach alpha method was employed to establish the reliability and the coefficient obtained is .82 which confirmed that the instrument is reliable in achieving the objective of the study. Data gathered was analysed using simple linear regression statistical tool. The result revealed that there was a significant influence of gender equality and social inclusion on human development among athletes of Cross River State Sports Commission, Calabar. Based on the findings, it was partly recommended that relevant sports administrators should ensure that both male and female athletes are given equal access to fully develop their talents without any form of gender bias in order to promote the development of sports in the state.