Clothing Choice and its Influence on Social Interaction Among Workers in the University of Cape Coast

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to find out about the kind of clothes the workers in the university choose to wear and how what they wear make them relate to others at the work place. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and stratified sampling technique was used to select 306 senior staff and 291 junior staff for the study. Questionnaire was employed to gather data which were analysed using frequencies, mean and standard deviation. The study revealed that psychological factors such as; self-esteem, body image, personal character, position in the university, need for self enhancement, sense of acceptability, self-consciousness and personal respect influenced choice of clothing among senior and junior staff in the University of Cape Coast. Second, it was found out that social status in the university, desire to appear attractive, desire to express cultural identity, desire to show new styles on the market, association in the work place, socio-economic status, feeling of belongingness and desire to appear decent were the social factors contributing to the choice of clothing among workers. In addition, it was revealed that economic factors such as; family’s need for food, shelter and health, level of income, cost of the clothe, amount of money available and the nature of their respective occupations influenced the choice of clothing among senior and junior staff. Finally, the study discovered that clothing choices have strong influence on the levels of interaction among senior staff of the University of Cape Coast. It was recommended that clothing manufacturers should address themselves to psychological, social and economic factors influencing workers’ clothing choices. Key Words: Choice, Clothing, Economic Factors, Influence, Psychological Factors, Social Factors, Social Interaction, Workers

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