GENDER DISPARITY, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: AN EVALUATION OF UNITED NATIONS’ GENDER POLICY
- Project Research
- 1-5 Chapters
- Quantitative
- Simple Percentage
- Abstract : Available
- Table of Content: Available
- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 4000
Abstract
Nigeria is one of African countries that have the lowest number of women in political participation and governance even though women make up half of the population of 140 million, according to the 2016, census and Nigeria adopted the United Nations’ 1985 Beijing Platform for Action and several other gender policies in order to narrow the gap between male and female in all spheres of life. Thus this research focused on gender imbalance in political participation and governance in line with the United Nations’ Gender Policy. This study analysed the UN gender policy and how it reflected in Nigeria’s election to put in place civilian administration from 2015 to March 2019. It also examined gender inequality in the distribution of elective positions in People’s Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress; the two dominant political parties; and to show the causes and solutions to gender inequality in Nigeria. The theoretical frameworks used are feminism theory of political participation and governance and pluralism theory of political participation and governance. The population of study comprises the six states in South- South geo-political zone of the federation: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo and Rivers. The Descriptive Survey Research Design was used for primary data gathering by administering structured designed questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Secondary data were sourced from the Independent National Electoral Commission, journals, internet materials, books and other relevant documents. The findings showed that there is a huge gender gap in political participation and governance in Nigeria; and this gap is unfavourable to women because the UN gender policy was not implemented. To address this, the Nigerian public should be properly enlightened, policy makers should be informed guided by UN gender policy and legislative actions should be taken to ensure that women can fully participate in the political process of the country.