PREVAILING PRACTICES OF WOMEN PRIMARY COOPERATIVE AND THEIR EFFECTS ON WOMEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC STABILITY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1          Background of the Study

Cooperatives have long been fundamental in supporting women's economic empowerment through various income-generating ventures that enhance their socio-economic status. According to the International Cooperative Alliance, cooperatives are unique businesses that prioritize members' interests over profit maximization, focusing on fulfilling the socio-economic needs of members (ICA, 2020). 

The role of cooperatives in advancing economic stability for members, particularly women, includes:

1. Creating employment opportunities,

2. Providing income generation avenues,

3. Reducing rural-to-urban migration,

4. Fostering modernization of traditional techniques,

5. Building entrepreneurial skills among members (Mushonga et al., 2022).

Moreover, studies emphasize the cooperatives' impact on women's economic empowerment, which has become increasingly relevant as economic conditions make it challenging for men alone to sustain family needs (Duru et al., 2023).

Asaolu (2020) highlights that cooperatives facilitate women's economic advancement through skill-building initiatives, training, and empowerment programs. This supports the capacity development essential for women to contribute significantly to household and community economies. Onuoha (2021) similarly suggests that cooperatives serve as mechanisms for rural women to actively manage their financial resources and investments, fostering increased access to savings and credit facilities which ultimately enhances their standards of living.

This study, therefore, aims to empirically investigate current practices in women’s primary cooperatives and their influence on women’s socio-economic stability.

1.2          Statement of the Problem

Most women in the society have low economic status compared with their male counterpart. Cooperative through various effort and sponsorship from government, NGOs and International Organizational was programmed to prevailing the effect on women socio-economic stability but most of the government officers in charge and management committees of various societies are corrupt and women are denied access to resources that will promote their economic status in the society. Women are also denied leadership in most groups and are marginalized. This influence is seen through women’s lack of ownership of item such as land finances resources and building. A vast majority of the women folks are poorer than their male counterpart, thus they cannot participate in venture that will promote their economic position or have access to loan to enhance their business participation. In African set up, women role are relegated to be background that they have to play second fiddle. They do not have passion of an inheritance that they can use as a security to obtain loan from financial institutions. Most women do not have the take or skills to improve on their socio-economic conditions or to affect their lives of their family, since men cannot solve all their challenges and problems.

It is the light of this negative development that this study is to find out the prevailing practices of women primary cooperative and their effects on women socio-economic stability.

1.3          Objective of the Study

i.               To find out the prevailing practices of women primary cooperative society.

ii.             To determine the extent that cooperatives is affecting  women on socio-economic stability.

iii.           To identify the possible problems that is affecting cooperatives on women socio-economic stability.

1.4          Research Questions

i.               What are the prevailing practices of women primary cooperatives society?

ii.             To what extents do cooperatives affect women on socio-economic stability?

iii.           What are the possible problems affecting cooperatives on women socio-economic stability.

1.5          Significance of the Study

This study examines the prevailing practices of women primary cooperative and their effects on women socio-economic stability, in the light of the test that most cooperative today are not viable because their members are weak, and as a weaker sex, women cannot empower themselves individually except through their collective efforts in cooperative society. The findings of this study will help and geared up cooperative and develop women to be economically strong and viable.

Secondly, government cooperative departments would see the need following the findings, to re-direct their cooperative policy in the area of women development.

Similarly, this study is of great scholarly importance as concerning students whose research problems may be related to this present can use it as a spring board or reference material for their own work.

It is also hoped that, this work would provide avenues in which cooperative will adopt the socio-economic stability of their members.

1.6          Scope of the Study

This study examines prevailing practices of women on socio-economic stability an examination of which cooperative have promoted the prevailing practices of women and of course the possible problems that is affecting women on the socio-economic stability

The study is restricted to members to Matan Makera and Peace Women Multipurpose Cooperatives both located in Kaduna Metropolis.

1.7          Operational Definition of Terminologies

§     Cooperative: Cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs, and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

§     Cooperative Effect: Is the degree of extra satisfaction which a member derives as a result of participating in the cooperative compare to working alone.

§     Economic: Relating to trade, industry, and the management of money.

§     Promotion: The activity of helping something to develop or increase.

§     Status: The official legal position or condition of a person, group, country etc.

§     Women: An adult female person married or unmarried.

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