ABSTRACT
The study was designed to analyze and
understand the level of omen participation in politics in Nigeria. It
specifically examined the factors that positively affect women's participation
in politics. Moreover, the study also grappled with the problems affecting
women participation in politics in general. Both primary and secondary methods
of data collection were employed. The primary sources of data consisted of
structured interview and the use of questionnaires while the secondary data
were collected from various literatures on the subject matter. Complementing
the secondary data were information from publications of relevant women
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and official document. The study revealed
that the low level of participation of women in politics can be traced to a lot
of complex factors like poor financial backing, violence, thuggery, lack of
education, burden of childbearing, religion and other factors. In conclusion,
the government should device a way of re-orientating the women in order to fully
participate in politics and gender debate.
Also, both government and the people must find a way of eradicating money
politics, thuggery, and violence and there should be awareness that political
terrain is not meant for men only but involves both male and female.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title
Page i
Certification
iii
Dedication
iv
Acknowledgement
v
Table of
Contents vi
Abstract
viii
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1.
Background 1
1.2.
Statement of the problem 7
1.3.
Objectives of the Study 7
1.4.
Scope of the Study 7
1.5.
Contribution to the knowledge 7
1.6.
Limitations to the study 8
Chapter 2 - Literature Review
2.1 The Nature and Definition of Political
Participation 9
2.1. i Introduction 9
2.1. ii What is Political Participation? 10
2.1. iii Types of Political Participation 13-15 11
2.2 Women Participation in Party Politics 13
2.3 Challenges to Women's Meaningful
Participation 15
in Party Politics
2.4 Women and Politics in Nigeria 17
2.4. i. The Pre-Colonial Era 18
2.4. ii. The Colonial Era 19
2.4 iii. The
Post-Colonial Era 21
2.4. iv Women and Military Regimes 22
2.4. v Women and the Civilian Dispensation 25
2.4. vi Conclusion 29
Chapter Three
3.1 Scope of the Study 30
3.2 Sources and Methods of Data Collection 30
3.3 Sample Design and Procedure 30
3.4 Method of Data Analysis 31
Chapter Four
4.1 Introduction 32
4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis 3
4.3 Factors responsible for low participation of 41
women in politics
4.3. i. Discussion of Findings 41
Chapter Five: Summary, Recommendation and Conclusion
5.1 Summary 45
5.2 Recommendation 47
5.3 Conclusion 49
Bibliography 51
Appendix 52
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Women roles and status in politics and developments are changing
from the traditional pre-occupation of watching from the sidelines to a more
active participation. Scholars like Susan Geiger (1997) are now revisiting
earlier narratives of Nationalist struggle to explore the influence of gender
as well as the dominant role played by men. Write-ups of women political
participation and nationalist struggles from the eighties now tend to celebrate
their neglected contributions. Politics is too important in the life of the
people to be left totally in the hands of men. It may be bard for the men to
understand some concerns peculiar to womanhood. Also, is the fact that
democracy is a concept involving mass participation and representation.
Therefore, democracy cannot be complete when massive participation of women is
not evident.
In Nigeria, democratic representation should reflect the different
interests including gender, race, religion, class and other identities in the
proportion they exist. This implies that ideally, a truly democratic government
of Nigeria should at least have 40010 of
women since the last National population Census in 2006 put women at about 50010. Many
reasons could be adduced for the low representation and participation of women
in Nigerian politics, chief of which is the party system. Other reasons could
include financial and managerial ability.
Women representation in government, development and policy making
is still very low the world over despite the clamour for women's political
empowerment as championed by the United Nations and its agencies and other
international agencies and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs). Situations differ in various regions of the world that
notwithstanding it is obvious that
there is a huge gender gap between men and women representation in political
leadership and governance, hence, national development.
This situation is expected to be worse in developing countries in
which Nigeria is a typical example where cultural practices and prejudices
weigh strongly against the woman.
We should know that no single country will achieve a hundred
percent (100%) goal in fighting for
women right, if there is no universal embrace of the ideals of equality between
men and women. In this regard, a level playing ground should be offered to
encourage women participation in politics and therefore enhance their roles in
other developmental projects. A uniting platform has been offered by the United
Nations adoption of thirty percent (30%) representation
as the minimum proportion of women in public life. This is intended to serve
the purpose of increasing women's decision making power, changing practices and
culture and ensuring that the situation improves and normalizes over time.
Leadership roles for women in Nigeria have been stalled partly due
to the culture, which makes them vulnerable when they join the workforce. Job
opportunities for Nigerian women are on the increase but equal opportunities
are still remote. Many years ago, women could not aspire to leadership roles
because they were restricted to family roles. However, Nigerian women, with
their culturally disadvantaged position and deprivation, often create ways to
avoid exploitation.
In Enugu State, women made an issue of their exclusion in the
State Executive Council by instituting a court action against the Governor of
the State, (Agbaegbu, 2000). This led to the appointment of a woman as a
Commissioner. On the other band, some women folk have had the opportunities of
traveling to developed countries, some have educated parents and are well
educated themselves. They were thus emancipated through education and social
interactions with people all over the world (Sowunmi, 2000). They are thus free
from social, political and legal restrictions that limited what they could do.
Little achievement bas been recorded with regard to the
involvement of women in decision-making processes of mainstream development
programmes in Nigeria For example, the 30010 benchmark: recommended by the
International Instrument and regulations for women in decision-making positions
in the year 2000 of which Nigeria is a signatory bas not been translated
to action (Ismail, 2002). It is very easy for government delegate to append
their signatures to attractive resolutions, but it requires unrelenting efforts
and intense pressure to ensure that governments operate such resolutions.
Leadership traits have nothing to do with gender; women can
participate effectively m policy making, development and governance if given
the chance. According to (Barry, 1991), the traditional and social approved
roles of Nigerian women are those of child bearing, agriculture and societal
culture. Traditions, norms and value kept most Nigerian women restricted to the
aforementioned tradition (1983), the head of the United Nations Education in
New York has observed that not only does a social perception force women to
engage in such occupations, but often, women themselves think they are best
suited for such tasks.
With the advent of western education through British colonialism,
old values beliefs and norms started to crumble. Though, prior to the advent of
western education, women have been involved in politics of their communities in
one way or the other. Examples are the Iyalode of Egba Land and Moremi in
Ile-Ife, The acquisition of western education by the Nigeria women was the
catalyst that manifests the possibilities and contribution that the Nigerian
women made to national development. Since old prejudice, habits, customs and
values die hard, the few educated Nigerian women suffer many forms of
discrimination economically, politically, culturally, religiously and
educationally some women were restricted to professions such as Teaching and
Nursing, it was believed that women are not regarded as being equal with men
consequently upon which a wide gap of inequality exist in the relationship
between men and women.
Judith Okpebi (1999) a feature editor of the Vanguard Newspaper
bitterly remarked that women have always contributed to all areas of economic
and social lives as farmer, entrepreneurs, traders, workers, home-markers and
mothers. Yet they are offered second-class status, powerlessness
marginalization and indignation. The remark of Okpebi may not be totally true
in the present Nigeria because many Nigeria women have proved their worth in
various spheres of life. There are many lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, and
Commissioners among women today.
Virgina Sapiro (1984) in assessing women in politics simply concluded that the two words
'women' and 'politics' are contradictory words that have nothing to do with one
another. Her assertion of cannot be generalized because no matter at what
level, women have been involved in politics since the time immemorial.
According to pre- colonial and post- colonial history, the Aba riot of 1929, the activities of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti,
those of lyalode of Egbaland, Moremi of Ile-Ife, Gambo Sawaba of the Northern
Elements People Union, (NEPU), Queen Amina of Zaria gave the needed impetus for
the women's struggle in modem Nigeria. Therefore, the multiple problems women
are facing like problems concerning their legal status, economics status,
educational disadvantage, their position in the family, in the society, in the
industry and in their professions nurture the seeds of feminist movement,
gender equality and women empowerment. These movements work towards evolving a
new woman, that according to Ayoade (1992), is the woman who is self-sufficient,
is able to make contact to the outside world, one who hold independent views,
able to earn her own living, committed to life career, and educated. That is,
the new woman should be a companion and equal rather than a subordinate to a
man.
The issue of gender equality and women empowerment especially
after the Beijing declaration of September 1995 has greatly exposed the need to
recognize the potential of women as veritable agent of social - political
development of the society. The United Nation Organisation (UNO) bad earlier
declared 1975 and 1985 as the decades for women during which appreciable
progress is expected from women. Also 8th March every year is set
aside by the United Nation organization as International Women's day. It
is a day on which women are expected to deliberate on issues that are affecting
them.
In spite of the declaration, the historical trend of women's
exclusion in politics is still in existence. Notwithstanding, the fact that
some women are able to make it to all various positions of governance, either
through political appointments or elections like that of the deputy governor of
Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Sosan, Erelu Obada of Osun State and Mrs. Pauline
Tallen of Plateau State. The overall picture does not show adequate representative
vis-a-vis their numerical strength.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Lagos State, women have not been playing significant
roles in terms of political participation when compared to men.
The concern of this study is to relate the rate of women
participation in politics to their male counterparts in the level of
decision-making and why few women are involved in politics in Lagos State.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are:
I.
To determine the level of participation of women in politics in
Lagos State
II.
To identify the problems affecting the political participation of
women in Lagos State
III.
To examine the factors that positively influences the level of
women's participation in Lagos State.
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study will be restricted to the political
participation of women at the various State and National levels since
independence. It further examined the role of women in politics both as
electorates and contestants in the country.
1.5 CONTRIBUTION TO THE
KNOWLEDGE
This study is expected to contribute to the body of knowledge on
political participation, most especially on women participation in politics. It
will constitute a veritable source of information to the women and government
on what should be done to enhance effective participation of women in politics.
1.6 LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDY
One of the major problems encountered in the course of this study
and which also limited its scope was in collecting information from the
respondents. It was as good as chasing them up and down, this attitude of the
respondents to the questionnaires ranged from hesitancy, vague or elusive
answers to indifference and total refusal to complete the questionnaire by some
of them. A good number of them were indeed ignorant of or could not be bothered
about the academic objective of the study.
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