Appraisal of the impact of the gender of household heads on housing condition in Egbeda-Iragbiji, Osun State, Nigeria

Housing is one of the basic needs of man, unarguably the third after food and clothing. It accounts for the social, cultural and economic value of a society; hence, quality housing is desired by all individuals. However, the rural areas have long been battling with challenges associated with condition and quality of housing. It is of note that many researchers have accounted for several factors affecting housing conditions in the rural areas but only few have documented the role that the gender of the household head plays on housing condition. In this study, household head refers to the eldest person in a house who most at times is also the bread winner of the family. This study hence, examines the role of household head gender on housing condition in Egbeda village, Iragbiji, Osun state. There are 94 inhabited houses in the village. Primary data were obtained through direct observation and questionnaire administered to all household heads in the village; the research is a census as 100% sample was done. Secondary data were obtained from the local planning authority. Descriptive and inferential methods were used in analyzing the data. Findings reveal that 58 households are headed by men while 36 are headed by women. Average income of women heads is low compared to their male counterparts. Although housing condition in the village is generally below standard, it was noted that houses headed by men are in better conditions than those headed by women. Data was subjected to chi square analysis and the research concluded that there is a significant relationship between housing condition and the gender of household head in the study area. Appropriate recommendations were made to improve the condition of housing in the study area.   key words: Gender, household head, housing condition, dwellings, rural areas.