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ABSTRACT
Nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. This is a growing concern to many Nigerians. However, concerted efforts have been made by government and non-governmental organizations to increase the level of participation of women in politics in line with the declaration made at the fourth World Conference on women in Beijing, which advocated 30% affirmative action. In Nigeria, the extant National Gender Policy (NGP) recommended 35% affirmative action instead and sought for a more inclusive representation of women with at least 35% of both elective political and appointive public service positions respectively. The project examines the role of women in political systems/institutions in Nigeria and accesses the impact of women participation in National development in Nigeria. It also explores the challenges associated with women’s participation and suggests recommendations to the issue of gender marginalization in Nigeria.
It uses the feminist theory to establish linkages between gendering politics and the role of women in national development in Nigeria. The research is based largely on social survey relying heavily on primary data. The study established that women have a significant role to play in nation’s development and women’s participation is as important as men’s participation and therefore women should not be marginalized in Nigerian politics as this will have a significant impact on advancing national development. The following recommendations were therefore espoused to remedy the challenges posed by the largely patriarchal society that have relegated women in participating in politics; Create political parties specifically for women, Increase the representation of women in politics, both at the national and local levels, Reinforcement of the country’s democratic arrangement especially among political parties, Increase access to education and training for women,Address poverty and other underlying causes of gender inequality,Create laws and policies to protect women from violence,and Improve the enforcement of existing laws and policies related to gender equality.
