An analysis of gender inequality and national gender policy. Political participation, representation and gender equality 18 4. Discussion of barriers to women s participation in politics focus largely on issues that diminish women s political resources and undermine their capacity to engage in politics. Barriers and enablers for womens participation in governance in. Genderbased violence an analysis of the implications. Among these factors are socioeconomic development, the. This gender bias in nigeria s political system is often traced to the onset of colonialism in nigeria. This is due in part to institutionalized gender roles in many societies which discourage and inhibit female participation in governance.
Thus the western cultural notion of colonialism woven around male superiority reflected in their relations with nigerians. Gender inequality has been an issue for several centuries, the world over. Gender inequality has been a topical issue in academic debate in nigeria. An analysis of gender inequality and national gender policy in nigeria by sani mustapha kura ramat polytechnic, maiduguri, department of social services, p. Guide on political participation fggpp was used to obtain qualitative data. Womens political involvement in abia state has remained increasingly low in spite of decades of struggle to ensure gender equity and womens empowerment. Nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. Of these roles mentioned, the last has been engendered by women movements attributed to historical gender discrimination and inequality. Political participation is good for democracy, but all democracies are plagued by systematic inequalities in participation lijphart 1997. Women are largely absent from positions in the local, national and international institutions that govern our daily lives.
Political participation is a voluntary act which encompasses wide range of political activities, including voting at. Gender and political behavior oxford research encyclopedia. Feminism and political participation in nigeria 1080 gender equality, some feminists argue that mens liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles. Perceptions of women in political leadership positions in nigeria. Department of industrial relations and public administration, lagos state university ojo, lagos. Nigerian politics is one of the areas in dire need of genderfocused inclusion. Recently, however, important research has considered the gendered nature of political participation in other regions of the world. Temesgen 2008 argued that women in nigeria, like their counterparts in other african countries, are not given the same access to education as men. Barriers and enablers for womens participation in governance. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria paper presented by mrs.
Commissioner of the independent national electoral commission, professor lai olurode, has submitted this analysis of women in nigeria s 2011 general elections. Gender politics in nigeria political science project topics. Gender politics in nigeria abstract despite the advances towards recognition of womens political, economic and social interaction with men during the 21stcentury, there is a continuing lack of women policy makers in nigeria. The role of women in politics and in the sustenance of. Political participation of women in india an overview. The authors adopted both conceptual and theoretical analysis of issues on political participation and. The last population census in nigeria was conducted in 2006. Abstract this paper examined the extent to which the citizens are involved in political activities.
One of them is the aforementioned plac, which runs a project called expanding political participation of women in nigeria with the support of the ford foundation. Pdf gender and political participation in nigeria 1999. Womens agitation for increase political participation over time has received backing from international instruments. Genderbased violence an analysis of the implications for the.
In the struggle for gender justice, usha narayanan argues, political participation constitutes the first and foremost step in that direction. It traces their leadership roles from precolonial through postcolonial eras with emphasis on 1914 till date. In short, women participation in nigerian politics is a topic of importance. Feminist scholars have always presented meticulous exposition on sexual inequalities and patterns of feminine. At the same time, countries vary substantially in the size of these gender gaps. Pdf since nigerias independence in 1960, nigerian women have continued to struggle to be renowned within all professions. Political participation, politics, gender inequality, sexism, women in. They are also an indicator of the state of a countrys democracy. Political participation, politics, gender inequality, sexism, women in nigeria. A sexist and patronagebased political culture, combined with gendered economic and household inequalities, are seen to be the main barriers to womens participation in governance.
Political participation is a voluntary act which encompasses wide range of political activities, including voting at election, contesting for political and party offices, attending political rallies, joining political parties and many more. Challenges to women involvement in nigerias development fapohunda, tinuke, m. Our aim in this study is to examine the extent of women. In spite of the extensive discussions in various conferences, academic debate and fora the issue of gender imbalance and poor women participation in politics is still very low. Aug 03, 2019 gender inequality and women participation in politics2011 general election in nigeria is a complete project materials from chapter one to five with reference and abstract. An exploratory study of women in political leadership in. This strategic development results framework, designed for implementing the nigeria national gender policy is the product of an intensive consultative process and hard work by several individuals and institutions. Commissioner of the independent national electoral commission, professor lai olurode, has submitted this analysis of women in nigerias 2011 general elections. In any political system, right from the developed to the developing countries, presence of women is very low compared to men.
Globally, nigeria ranks 181st out of 193 countries. Promoting women participation in local governance audanepad. Gender inequality and women participation in politics2011 general election in nigeria is a complete project materials from chapter one to five with reference and abstract. Democracy, womens political participation and the policy environment in nigeria leke oke, phd department of political science, faculty of the social sciences, ekiti state university, ado ekiti, nigeria email. Women and political participation in nigeria request pdf. Womens political participation and representation in state.
Pdf political participation is a voluntary act which encompasses wide range of political activities, including voting at election, contesting for. Gender and political participation in nigeria 1999 2010. Oloyede oluyemi national bureau of statistics nbs, abuja, nigeria abstract nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria ms. Gender relations in nigerias politics throughout the history of nigeria, there has been varying levels of womens political participation. A study of some selected local government areas in ondo state, nigeria.
The study areas are lagos state of nigeria between 1999 and 2007, though the historical background to women s political participation in the country is relevant to the study in order to bring out the stages of women s marginalization in nigeria s politics. By passing on the sum total of several decades of inquiries and studies, debate and efforts to work out norms and strategies oncerning womens c participation in political life, the union thus endeavoured to enrich the work of the united. Gender differences in voting behavior and participation rates persist across democracies. According to our law, another census will hold in 2 years time, since we practise democracy, which is a game of number, our population counts for who would like to govern at each level of. Regional organizations, gender equality and the political empowerment of women the implementation of quota systems or other mechanisms that promote gender equality.
Impact of traditional and new social media on womens engagement with democratic processes 23 5. It is in a bid to find a lasting solution to issue of women s misrepresentation in nigeria political system which often led many gender activists to demand for the united nations 35% quota of. The results indicated that the rise of womens political participation in the world and africa has been possible through access to education by men and women, the use of some form of gender affirmative action plans, multiparty democracy, concerted efforts of civil organization both local and international levels and. There is a general sense that traditional politics and representative democracy.
The inability of the nigerias patriarchal state to accede to the imperatives of gender equality and active women political participation in governance, constituted the. Political participation here entails various variables of participation but basically voting in elections, contesting elective public offices. The paper is a foray of issues in gender inequality in nigeria with a view to proffering solutions. We are trusted partners for advocates and decisionmakers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality. Abstract this study investigates the factors that limit womens participation in nigeria s politics using as a case study, the period between 1999 and 2007, with emphasis on lagos states. The burgeoning field of gender and political behavior shows that the way in which ordinary citizens connect to the democratic process is gendered. Women and political participation in namibia and nigeria. Yero department of social studies college of education, jalingo, p. A number of factors have worked together in raising womens participation in politics in africa. The findings of the study revealed that 57% of the participants were not actively involved in political activities.
Gender relations in nigerias democratic governance core. Factors which have enhanced womens increased political participation there is no single factor that can be accredited for the contemporary positive trends in womens political participation. As gender issues and womens political and economic empowerment take centre stage on the global arena, nigeria appears intent on maintaining its position at. However, concerted efforts have been made by government and nongovernmental organizations to increase the level of participation of women in politics in line with the declaration made at the.
Gender inequality and women participation in politics. In precolonial nigerian societies though womens political participation was not equal to that of men, the position of women in traditional political governance was. The process lasted for 8 months, after the approval of the national gender policy by the federal executive council in 2006. However, concerted efforts have been made by government and. Levels of female participation and representation in nigerian politics are low. One of the most persistent has been according to gender, such that women are found to participate less than men, and suggesting that half the populations interests are less well represented andersen 1975. Challenges to women involvement in nigeria s development fapohunda, tinuke, m.
Gender, participation, politics, democracy, nigeria. This masters thesis seeks to shed light on the general connection between good governance and gender equality. Perceptions of women in political leadership positions in. Also, there was effect of gender on political participation.
The paper examines womens political participation in abia state of nigeria with a view to determining the factors that constrain womens equal representation in the political system. Levels of female participation and representation in nigerian politics. Womens participation and the political process in nigeria. Equal participation of women and men in decisionmaking. Focusing on enugu state, this study sets out to examine how the media can be used to access and accelerate women participation in political programs and activities in nigeria. The first two chapters attempt to provide one possibility for understanding womens rights conditions in middle east, north africa mena and subsaharan africa through the theory of governance. Department of industrial relations and public administration, lagos state university ojo, lagos, nigeria email. Gender participation in nigeria s politics before the advent of colonial era, women were noted to have played active role in the traditional political governance akinboye, 2004. Democracy, womens political participation and the policy. Abstract this study investigates the factors that limit womens participation in nigerias politics using as a case study, the period between 1999 and 2007, with emphasis on lagos states.
Perceptions of women in political leadership positions in nigeria annette anigwe. It is against this background that this paper examines the history of womens participation in politics in nigeria, the legal framework for the promotion and protection of womens rights in the country, the implications of gender parity for the domestication of international treaties protecting womens rights and what could be done to achieve. The national average of womens political participation in nigeria has remained 6. This study appraised the participation of women legislators in lawmaking process at the houses of assembly. Conclusions and recommendations 31 recommendations 32. For 10 years, the womens democracy network wdn has brought women activists from around the world together to identify and. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria. It is argued in the paper that gender imbalance in leadership is a bane to peaceful coexistence and development in nigeria. The bulk of the literature on gender and political behavior focuses on the united states, and most of the crossnational research is limited to western, industrialized nations. Gender gaps in political participation across subsaharan. Introduction gender inequality especially in the political arena is a serious challenge being faced by women in recent times.
Gender equality and political participation, an assessment. Regional organizations, gender equality and the political. It is a truism that gender blind and gender biased political agendas can distort. However, youths influence on national politics remains limited. The phenomenon of women low participation in nigerias politics became worrisome following the.
Three research questions were raised and answered in the study. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative means of data collection. Oluyemi oloyede nigeria national bureau of statistics abstract. This basic interpretative qualitative study sought to address the issues of gender equality in nigeria and women participation in the political administration of. Emerging trends in womens participation in politics in africa. Womens political participation and politics of dis. This gender bias in nigerias political system is often traced to the onset of colonialism in nigeria. As one of africas underutilized resources, increasing female political participation, representation and influence is key to achieving many of the developmental goals set for africa.
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