The Gendered Dimensions of Campus Cultism: Assessing Vulnerabilities, Academic Impact, and Institutional Support Systems Among Female Students at Kwara State Polytechnic
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Abstract
Campus cultism remains a persistent threat to structural stability, physical safety, and academic excellence within Nigerian higher education institutions. While historical literature has predominantly framed cultism as an exclusively male-dominated phenomenon, contemporary trends indicate an increasing vulnerability and clandestine involvement among female students. This study utilizes empirical field survey data (N=226) from female students at Kwara State Polytechnic to systematically investigate their structural awareness of secret cult activities, the operational mechanics of peer pressure, the socio-psychological and academic consequences of cultism, and their perceptions of existing administrative countermeasures. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Routine Activity Theory, the analysis reveals a critical structural divergence: while direct overt recruitment exposure remains low (2.21%), underlying environmental and socio-academic dynamics—such as the high proportion of off-campus residents (75.66%), fear of latent physical or sexual violence, and peer pressure (52.21% combined significance)—severely impair female students' safety profiles. Ultimately, 36.73% of the respondents explicitly feel "Unsafe" or "Very Unsafe" on campus. Inferential statistics validate that high peer pressure significantly associates with negative academic outcomes (chi-square = 3.849, p = 0.0498). This paper synthesizes these findings into a gender-sensitive institutional framework, recommending proactive counseling infrastructures, targeted security architectures for off-campus housing, and anonymous, safe reporting pathways.
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