We have been analysing male underachievement in Jamaica looking at the statistical evidence supporting the claim that there is a dearth of males in university education and consequently managerial positions. The contributing factors have been explored. Now we assess the potential impact of these phenomena on the labour market dynamics of the country, while also providing recommendations at the policy and institutional levels.

Labour market dynamics refers to changes in jobs that take place, as well as entries into and departures from economic activity affected by hiring, separations, and the establishment and closure of self-employment activities. Those who comprise the labour market are seeking a job, are already employed, or have lost employment without the desire to become re-employed. All economies that thrive have a robust labour market in which qualified individuals apply for and are placed in positions that suit their qualifications, but there is currently a gap between the qualifications that the labour market requires and what the workforce is offering (International Labour Office, 2014). In Jamaica, males suffer the most from being underqualified for the opportunities the labour market provides.

Hadjar et al (2014) explain the stereotype of positions in which females choose “softer” jobs, while males prefer careers characterised by a higher degree of autonomy, authority, or status. This stereotype might explain the disparity of males in the workplace in specific sectors, such as financial services. Males tend to prefer more hands-on roles more than office roles. This preference by males may perhaps explain why more females would be in managerial posts, or even matriculate to higher education, as most educational programmes require a great amount of reading and writing.

With respect to the influence of family structure on the choices of males and females in the school system, Miner (2003) suggests that the shift from male to female familial headship is not necessarily an effect of the past, but a conscious decision on women’s part in society as they understood their centrality in the family and relationship structure (pp 30-31). Bailey and Charles (2010) posit that this cultured male gender privilege “is facilitated, in part, by the traditional sex segregation of the curriculum, which begins in high school and continues into tertiary level” (p 70).

Opportunities for males to acquire tertiary education require funding from scholarships and/or grants (private or government). However, because of limited access to these funds, particularly for males, they do not pursue the route to tertiary education, leading to low male retention and graduation rates from a tertiary institution, which leads to no income or low-income jobs (Nagaraj, 2014).

Statistical data from the World Bank (2020), the International Labour Organization (2018), and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) (2013) also provided support regarding the low number of males in higher educational institutions.

The negative impact of the level of educational achievement by males in Jamaica can be seen through the impacts on employment (Clarke, 2005, pp 9-10). This stance is supported by the fact that an economy grows when the greatest number of qualified individuals can perform adequately in their careers, thus positively affecting the economic outcome of both individual and country (Aliyu, 2019).

Furthermore, there is evidence that gender equality in the workplace increases gross domestic (GDP) by as much as 14 per cent to 45 per cent for some countries (Löfström, 2018). Additionally, the gender equality Löfström (2018) proposes would involve both genders working to the same extent in paid jobs and having an equal share of part-time work and self-employment. Another view is that greater access to educational opportunities may increase enrolment and higher education improvements (Nagaraj, 2014).

While it cannot be said that gender has macroeconomic impacts or affects the country’s GDP, it can be said that gender inequity may affect the household, thus playing a role in understanding microeconomics.

Gayle and Bryan (2019) also found that “the pursuit of tertiary education demonstrated a greater rate of increase in opportunities for employment in the case of females than males. They also show that occupational structure and size of the labour market in relation to the labour force “created a situation where females face greater levels of competition in gaining employment with placement based on educational achievement”. They note that within such a context, “the structure of the labour market predisposes men to calculate lower levels of return on educational investment”. As a result, “Men seek income-earning activities outside of the formal labour market.” Therefore, because women are more likely to maximise substandard education in Jamaica amidst scarce resources, families are more inclined to send girls to school because of these higher returns on education.

In my investigation of the factors associated with male underachievement I found that participants highlighted the need for children to be exposed to several different learning avenues based on their learning style and to be allowed to express themselves in the area that they are most comfortable with.

Curricula should also be structured to make information more applicable to students’ lives instead of teaching from a wide array of subjects that will benefit students in no substantial way. The need for the teaching of practical skills, such as business and entrepreneurship, were also identified by as part of wider educational reform. The study revealed that youth lack access to government funding, and research participants strongly believed that this type of funding would have served as the only means of funding for education for young men.

Next week, the recommendations…

Dr Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd is a transformational leader and managing director of MYM Group Limited. She is a people, organisational, and middle manager development professional, as well as founder of Young Entrepreneurs Association. Coke is a national productivity ambassador, speaker, author, and adjunct professor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or jackiecokelloyd@gmail.com.