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Women’s participation and
the political process in Nigeria: Problems and prospects
Damilola Taiye Agbalajobi
Department
of Political Science, College of Management Sciences,
Redeemer’s University (RUN), P. M. B. 3005, Redemption City, Ogun
State, Nigeria. E-mail:
lola2kid@yahoo.com.
Tel: +2348057006670.
Accepted
31 December, 2009 |
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Nigerian women constitute about half of the population
of the country and are
known to play vital roles as mother, producer, time manager,
community organizer and social and political activist. But
despite the major roles they play and their population, the
society has not given recognition to these and to the fact
that they are discriminated against. This is due to some
cultural stereotype, abuse of religion, traditional
practices and patriarchal societal structures. Nigerian
women have therefore over the years become target of
violence of diverse form based on their positions in
promoting transformative politics. The research methodology
is termed qualitative research and with the use of secondary
data gathered from university libraries, news print and
journals. This paper will therefore examine the theoretical
perspective of the discrimination and inequality suffered by
women; secondly, access the current status of women in
politics and the various efforts made by them for their
political empowerment; thirdly, identify problems women face
in their quest to participate in politics and lastly suggest
possible measures for their political empowerment.
Key
words:
Women’s participation, political participation, political
process, patriarchy.
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