Propelling Action on Gender Equality and the Rights of Girls and Women: The low level of women’s participation in Nigeria’s politics

In Nigeria, women’s participation in various decision-making fields, particularly in politics, has been consistently low. Despite women’s important role in the country, they continue to be marginalized economically, socially, and politically. Although, as reported by the scholars Stanley Ehiane and Abimbola Yemisi, in the 2006 census, the country revealed that women constitute about 49 percent of the people in the state, but most of them reside in rural communities. This means that women constitute a sizable proportion of the nation’s population, whose participation in the process of development, cannot be ignored if the desired result is to be achieved. Otherwise, this inequality reflects widening gaps in income and gender access to economic and social opportunities and growing inequality between and within rural and urban populations.

The reduced participation of women in politics, as read on The Conversation website, is due to factors such as cultural bias against women, limited education, marital responsibility, financial constraints, conflicts in the demands of politics and the traditional role of women, lack of spousal support, male domination of politics, opposition from men and lack of support from other women, as well as electoral violence, general insecurity, and rigging of elections.

Issues concerning women empowerment and gender equality are encountered around the world; however, they may be worse in some areas of the globe than others. As reported by the House of Lord’s library in an article titled International Women’s Day 2022: gender gaps across the world, gender-based discrimination has created wide gender gaps globally, with devastating social, economic, and health consequences to women, who have been intensely marginalized, and subjugated to the background.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women says that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making around the world, and achieving gender equality when it comes to politics is still difficult. As of late last year, 26 women were serving as Head of State and/or Government in 24 countries. Only 10 countries have a woman Head of State, and 13 countries have a woman Head of Government. At that speed, gender equality globally will only be achieved in 130 years. Regarding women in national parliamentary positions, only a few countries have 50 percent or more women in parliament in single or lower houses, including Rwanda with 61 percent, Cuba with 53 percent, and Bolivia with 53 percent. Worldwide, there are 27 countries where women account for less than 10 percent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses, including four single/lower chambers with no women at all. At the current rate of progress, gender parity in national legislative bodies will not be achieved before 2063.

Gender equality concerning women in a position of power in Nigeria will be difficult to achieve without closing the gap between women and men in terms of capacities and access to resources and opportunities. The gap between the rural and urban communities must also be closed since most women reside in rural areas. Effective advocacy to eliminate violence against women, particularly violence against women in politics. Otherwise, it will result in continuous discrimination against women, fuelled national and social conflicts, and retard development and political empowerment.

As the Scholars Ehiane and Yemisi explain, women’s participation in the political process is of strategic importance, not only for women’s empowerment but because it has wider benefits and impacts on the nation at large. Equitable participation of women in politics and government is essential for building a sustainable democracy. Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women’s perspectives in all levels of decision-making, the goal of equality, development, and peace cannot be achieved. Therefore, the exclusion of women in any development process may lead to no development at all.  

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