Gender Disparity And The Challenges Of Governance In Nigeria (1999-2007)

Abstract

The political situation in Nigeria is particularly worrisome due to the domination of the scene by the male gender over their female folks. The low level of women representation at all levels of governance in Nigeria can be traced to the patriarchal orientation of some Nigerian society. Women are seen as the weaker sex, who is psychologically incapable to be involved in partisan politics .The societal system in the country encourages male dominance, subjugates women and makes women as appendages to men. This paper examines various ways by which Nigerian women experience disparity in governance. It also reveals the constraints to gender equality and their participation in the process of governance despite efforts made at the national and international scene to empower them. The paper is descriptive and analytical and it takes a form of content analysis of information gathered through retrieval technique. The paper recommends that women should break loose from the institutions, traditions and values that enslave them mentally and enforce their subjection as the standard of morality of our patriarchal society. It concludes that, to challenge the continuing marginalization of women in Nigeria's process of governance, there is the need to devise appropriate strategies and tactics for eliciting the enthusiasm and concerted efforts of both male and female members of the society for the goal of enhancing the participation of women in governance.

Keywords: Gender, Patriarchy, Governance, Political Participation, Politics.

Gender and Behaviour Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 1532-1544