Gender Equality and Women Representation in the Government
CHAPTER ONE
Research Objectives
The study will be conducted by the following objectives:
Main Objective:
To understand what are the main factors militating against the effective representation of women in government.
Secondary Objectives are:
- Identify the areas women are mostly represented in the Nigerian government.
- Recognize what is the nature of women’s participation in Nigerian government.
- Pinpoint the measures that can be put in place to encourage more Nigerian women to participate in politics
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Review
Political Engagement
This refers to popular participation in matters of state. Policy outcomes are influenced by citizens’ participation in the political process, either directly or indirectly.Citizens can express their political views and influence governmental decision-making through political engagement, which is a key component of a democratic society. (Habermas1997).
Democracy and Political Participation
Elections have been and continue to be the most significant sign of democracy and a pathway to political engagement in Nigeria, as in many other African democracies. However, voting in elections is not the only way to be politically active. Democratic governments must establish conducive conditions for everyone to engage in political activity.The concepts of social justice, inclusivity, and citizen’s rights support democratic participation. Democracy, according to Nwabueze (1993), is based on the idea that all citizens—men and women alike—should be treated equally by the society and with freedom and fairness. In a similar vein, Sodaro (2001) asserts that it offers a level playing field for political involvement and decision-making. Therefore, being politically active is essential to democracy as well as to the sustainability and validity of all political systems (Agbalajobi 2010). It appears to be the lone characteristic that distinguishes a truly democratic political system. A society cannot be fully democratic without active involvement of women who appear to be numerically equal to their male equivalent because equal political participation is a sine qua non of democracy.
Nigerian Women and Political Participation: An Overview
Contrary to what the colonialists claimed, the indigenous African systems already had well-organized political institutions and a system of government in place before colonisation. Their disarticulation and the imposition of foreign political systems on them were both caused by colonialism. The role of women in Nigeria’s political and socioeconomic interactions was inevitably impacted by these changes, which led to new value systems that were discriminatory.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
Research designs a logical way of connecting data to the research problem, question and conclusions. According to Babbie (2007), each research method is unique on its own and also has its strengths and weaknesses, however the subject or topic of interest mostly determines the method of research to be adopted.
The research design adopted in this study is qualitative, which was the most suited method based on the research objectives. The qualitative method of data analysis is concerned with identifying and understanding the attributes, characteristics and traits of the object of inquiry. The method was adopted for this research because the study intends to explore and examine women political participation in Nigerian.
According to Astalin (2013), a qualitative research is an umbrella term for a broad range of different approaches and methods which vary considerably in terms of focus, assumption about the nature of knowledge and the role of the researcher. Thus, the purpose of choosing a qualitative method for this study is because the method will create an in-depth knowledge and give more clarification about the topic of discussion.
This study focused on exploring the level of Nigerian women political participation, examined and analysed the factors that prevent them from being active in politics and the roles gender disparity plays in women political condition in Nigeria. The study objectives and central questions are clearly stated in order to have a better understanding about women political positions in contemporary Nigerian society.
Consequently, the research was carried out by analysing existing information (data) on the phenomenon being investigated. It also involves a survey on the number of women involved in political positions at the government level in Nigeria and the census of areas where there are more women involved.
CHAPTER FOUR
WOMEN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
4.1. The Nigeria Experience
Most researchers through their works agree with the general belief that women are being marginalised by men in practically all the sectors worldwide. Agbalajobi (2010) and Kira (2003) contended that the constant marginalisation has a theoretical justification. They argue that the subjugation of women in politics could be linked to various factors like religion, culture, traditional and stereotypical practices, hence these structures inherently make it difficult for women and men to be seen as equals. Globally, women have to a great extent, been subjected to being at the mercy of their male counterparts as most key sectors like the labour market and politics are majorly dominated by the men. Agbalajobi at that point, argued that the oppression of women, with regards to participation has naturally been in practice for decades. He also stated that women marginalisation is not just an African thing but a global phenomenon which could also be found in developed nations like American and Europe. Agbalajobi (2010) goes further to justify his argument by saying: “This form of discrimination is not simply an African or Nigerian phenomenon but a global one thus both developed and underdeveloped nation states are guilty of the same discriminatory sexist politics The only difference is that, it has lasted so long in this part of the world as other developed nations of the world are moving towards gender equality and equity” pg. 077. In the above excerpt, Agbalajobi stated that gender subjugation is more of a global problem which affects both developed and under developed societies. He stated that, the only difference is that the developed world is consciously putting efforts to reduce the discrimination to minimal by implementing laws that give equal right to both genders. Agbalajobi (2010) also asserted that women are not just being marginalised in the social settings but also in government parastatals, for example, women are not permitted to stand as a guarantor or sponsor in some federal institutions such as the police force and legislative.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSIONS
The result of this study concurred with the objectives, which primary aim was to examine the level and nature of women participation in politics, factors weighing against women participation in politics and measures to encourage women’s political participation and decision making in Nigeria. Findings also revealed that women are capable and willing to contest and win election if they are allowed by their families and society at large. The majority of women only participate in registration and voting, although, the people would be willing to vote for women as chairperson of their local government area. As regards to the level of women participation, most women are not given equal opportunities compared to their male counterparts. Concerning possible measures to encourage women participation in politics, economic empowerment, educational empowerment, stoppage of all obnoxious traditional practices and creating more political appointments for women should be encouraged. Women political participation in Nigeria is a topic of great concern and importance. The relegation of Nigerian women to the political background over the years, could be linked to the reason why women are under-represented in leadership positions both in politics and society at large.
However, viewed from the perspective of culture and tradition, women actually face massive resistance from participating in politics. It is pertinent to note that a lot of females believed that politics would prevent them from taking absolute care of their families. Women are generally attached to the happenings in the household due to their upbringing, so they tend to prioritise domestic duties over participation in any social or political activities, hence family responsibility plays a major role in women’s low involvement in politics.
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