Women and Politics in Nigeria

Analyzing the effects of women in politics and their various activities, including their names and portfolios.

Politics can be said to be the act of making public choice and making decision on behalf of people through the medium of the State and its apparatus. It is accepted that for development of any kind to be successful woman which make up a larger proportion of the population should not be left out because there is no doubt that both men and woman have some potentials and rights to contribute meaningfully to the development of their countries through out the world. Africa inclusive. There is abundant historical evidence that African woman have for long been playing crucial role in political life of their countries. So many great women of yesteryears have help in shaping. African politics. They have played crucial roles in redeeming or elevating their countries.

Problems Militating Against Women In Africa Politics

Nigerian women have encountered a number of problems while venturing into politics. There is large scale discrimination from the men folk, both in voting for candidates and in allocating political offices.

More often than not, men constitute a larger percentage of the party membership and this tends to affect women when it comes to selecting or electing candidates for elections. Since men are usually the majority in the political party setup, they tend to dominate the party hierarchy and are there fore at advantage in influencing the party's internal politics.

The Role of Women in Post-independent Africa

1. Overall status of women in Africa

African women have always been active in agriculture, trade, and other economic pursuits, but a majority of them are in the informal labour force. In 1985, women's shares in African labour forces ranged from 17 per cent, in Mali, to 49 per cent in Mozambique and Tanzania (World Bank, 1989). African women are guardians of their children's welfare and have explicit responsibility to provide for Read More