Strategies for Promoting Women’s Participation in Community Development Process in Gokana Local Government Area
Chapter One
Objective of the study
Generally, this study aims at finding solutions to the barriers to women participation in the community development of Gokana Local Government area of Rivers State. Specifically, the work is embarked upon to realize the following objectives:
- To ascertain the barriers to women participation in agriculture in Gokana Local Government Area.
- To ascertain the impact of poor education on women participation in the community development in Gokana Local Government Area.
- To identify ways of empowering the women for greater participation in all spheres of community development
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Community Development
According to Obi (1997), community development is defined as socio-economic changes involving the transformation of agrarian society in order to reach a common set of development goals based on the capabilities and needs of the people. World Bank (1975) contends that community development is a process through which rural poverty is alleviated by sustained increase in the productivity and incomes of low rural workers and households. Njoku (1995) argues that community development is the process whereby cultural, political and educational motivation of rural dwellers enables them to rationally exploit and harness the resources of their environment for the social and economic well being of the society. Batten (1986), in his book, “communities and their development as a process” stressed that community development is possible only when the people in the community first thoroughly discuss and define their wants and then plan together to satisfy them. UNESCO defines community development as the process by which the efforts of the people are united with the government to improve the economic, social, and cultural conditions of communities. Community development in simple terms is the process of improving the quality of human lives. It involves the sustained elevation of the entire community and social system towards a better human life. Gulet (1971) identified three important aspect of community development as:
(i) Raising people’s living standard – income and consumption levels, access to medical services, education, safe drinking water etc. through relevant economic growth process.
(ii) Creating condition conducive for the growth of people’s self esteem through the establishment of social institutions that promote human dignity and respect.
(iii) Increasing people’s freedom by enlarging the range of the choices as by increasing varieties of consumer goods and services.
Dundley (1987) posed three questions about the meaning of development as follows:
(i) What has been happening to poverty?
(ii) What has been happening to unemployment?
(iii) What has been happening to inequality?
He asserts that if all three of these have declined from higher level, then beyond doubt, there has been a period of development for the community concerned. Author Dunham quoted publication made as far back as 1915 stating community development as making the small town a better place to live in and a better place in which to do business. Duncan spotlights that the problems of community development lies on the ability to identify, document, and use the available resources for the development of the community. Hence, lack of mobilization and local participation in community development may turn ruling class, thus making people to be reluctant.
Community development is a process by which the effort of the people themselves are unified with those of government and non-governmental authorities to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities to integrate those communities into the life of the nation and enable them contribute fully to national progress(UNO, 1962). It is a process of social action in which people of the community organize themselves for the identification of their needs with maximum reliance on their own initiative and resources, supplemented with assistance in any form from government and non-governmental organization. Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills they need to affect change in their own community. It involves changing the relationship between ordinary people and people in position of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives. It seeks to empower individuals and groups in their own community. It is a process of helping a community strengthen itself and develop towards its full potential.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research is the process of arriving at a dependable solution to problems through planned and systematic collection, analyzing and interpretation of data (Osuala, 1993). Green and Full (1975) defines research methodology as the specification of procedures for collecting and analyzing the data necessary to solve the problem at hand such that the differences between the cost of obtaining various levels of accuracy and the expected value of the information associated with each level of accuracy is optimized. Thus, in this chapter the method and techniques of data collection and analysis for this study are discussed in details, research design, population of study, sample and sampling technique, sources of data collection, research instrument, validity of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, procedure for administration of research instrument, as well as the limitation of the research methodology. This will be important in order to assess the strategies for promoting women participation in community development process.
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from Gokana local government area of Rivers state in order to determine the strategies for promoting women participation in community development process. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
Population of Study
The population of study is the census of all items or a subject that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the phenomenon that is being studied (Asiaka, 1991). It also means the aggregate people from which the sample is to be drawn.
Population is sometimes referred to as the universe. The population of this research study will be the selected (75) selected household in Gokana local government area of Rivers state
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 75 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them and presented as follows:
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on strategies for promoting women participation in community development process in Gokana local government area. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of strategies for promoting women participation in community development process
Summary
This study was on strategies for promoting women participation in community development process in Gokana local government area. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the barriers to women participation in agriculture in Gokana Local Government Area, to ascertain the impact of poor education on women participation in the community development in Gokana Local Government Area and to identify ways of empowering the women for greater participation in all spheres of community development. In line with these objectives, three research questions and hypotheses were formulated and answered. The total population for the study is 75 residents sin Gokana local government of rivers state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study.
Conclusion
A cursory look at the entire work especially at the findings made in the course of the study reveals that there is a yawning gap in the level of involvement of male and female gender in the development of the Nigerian society especially in the political economy of the country. This less involvement of the female folk has contributed in no small measure to the backwardness of the country despite the enormous resources with which the country is endowed. It has to a great extent slow down the pace at which the communities grow and develop Therefore if the Nigerian society should develop like other countries of the world, there is urgent need to get more Nigerian women involved in the development of every facet of the economy. This will help to pull all the human resources together for the upliftment of the society.
The researcher wishes to conclude at this point that the less involvement of women in development would be a thing of the past if the recommendations made are meticulously implemented by those concerned. This will help to speed up the rate at which the society develops and outgrow those countries we refer to as developed
Recommendation
The researcher also recommends that payment should be made for the domestic responsibilities of women especially when such responsibility denies them access to other source of income. Alternatively, both the men and the women (husbands and wives) should be equally involved in the domestic responsibilities at home and at the same time, both should be equally involved in the financial responsibilities at home.
The mass media, community, religious and opinion leaders as well as leaders of various women organisations should be employed to give the women right orientation about politics. this is to put an end to the age long wrong perception of politics by the rural women.
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