Male Participation in the Catering Industry in Kasoa, Ghana

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the participation of males in the catering industry in Kasoa. Snowballing method was used to select 27 employers, 52 employees and 52 sole proprietors dealing directly with food provision. Pre-tested structured interview guide, with both closed- and open-ended items, were used to collect data, which were coded and analyzed using SPSS software. The main findings were that only 29 out of the 131 respondents had had the requisite training in catering and 53.6% of them worked as chefs and cooks, dished out food and prepared pastries. The choice of catering by the males was found to have been influenced mainly by economic factors, relatives and interest. It was again found out that strenuous activities in the selected establishments were performed by those males who had low educational levels. Parents, teachers and Guidance and Counselling Coordinators in schools should avoid restricting males to specific courses leaving out catering and sewing.