SUMMARY
This research discusses the role of Irrua women in the economic development of Irrua community in present day Edo state from the period of 1960 to 2005. So far, the study revealed that Irrua women have been an instrumental agent in the socio economic development of Irrua and by extension, Nigeria. The Irrua women achieves this immense contribution through the numerous economic activities they engage in as well as the support they render to the men and children folks in the Irrua communities. In a more general sense, the role of women in the socio economic development of rural communities has not been given proper attention in academic discourse, and has been one of the most neglected themes in the past until recently.1 According to the findings of this study, Irrua women, like Yoruba and Hausa women of the past, played an active role in agriculture, manufacturing, trade, culture, social life, and even politics during the pre-colonial economy that was based on family lineage. Irrua women in the past and now did the same thing, though the older ones did a lot more than their modern counterparts2. However, the Irrua women's contributions to the Irrua economy are enormous, but they are often overlooked and rarely documented. Irrua women's contributions to the social and economic development of the Irrua community from 1960 to 2020 were the focus of this study. These women have continued to play a significant role in agriculture, the economy, culture, social life, manufacturing, art, trade and commerce, and entrepreneurship, despite having a low status and lack of recognition 51 in traditional and secular Irrua matters up until relatively recently. Their constructive contribution to the socioeconomic development of the Irrua community is commendable and appreciable3. In general, women unquestionably contribute significantly to the agricultural and rural economies of all regions of the world, though the precise amount and nature of their contributions vary widely and differs from regions to regions and difficult to assess, evidence shows that women are pivotal in the political, cultural and economic life of any society. Having seen that the Irrua women play important role in the society, it is wise to assert that women should be encouraged in all area of affairs of the state as they have a lot to offer. It is sad to say that this encouragement has not been duly given to the women politically, culturally and otherwise. For example, in spite of all the identifiable contributions made by the Irrua women in the socio economic development of Irrua community, the women are still greeted with so much challenges confronting them. Similar to their peers from other Esan communities in Esanland in Edo State and elsewhere, these challenges manifest in the fact that their contributions are frequently fought against and made to appear insignificant. This kind of work on Irrua women's emancipation, empowerment, and appreciation is desperately needed because of issues like their relegation, gender and cultural issues, a lack of education, poverty, and a lack of infrastructure, as well as emerging contemporary trends.4 The women of Irrua are restricted by a variety of man-made and natural bottlenecks. They are held in contempt for their enormous potentials, capabilities, roles, and 52 contributions, which are undermined in a variety of ways, and these restrict their scope and roles. Irrua women formerly lacked a single female traditional political authority or institution—until recently, when the Women Leader traditional institution was established—in Irrua traditional politics due to this relegation and neglect. The beneficial effects of Western education contributed to the success of this. The issue of gender equality has only recently been viewed in a way that is favorable to Irrua women. However, traditional tools and gender-balanced roles still have a lot of room for improvement. Again, these women suffer the untold hardship (abject poverty) that is known to be associated with rural women and children of developing nations like Nigeria. Low standard of living (poverty) greatly affects women's contribution to their society in several ways. Naturally, it has been posited and established that the majority of women leaders usually do better than their male counterparts. For instance, the low level of education in Irrua and throughout Nigeria is in part due to poverty. Rural dwellers, particularly women, face fundamental challenges in developing economies, including poverty and inadequate rural development and empowerment. The bottom line is that if the Irrua women are given more opportunities and are appreciated more, they will even do better than they have in improving the socioeconomic development of the Irrua community in particular and Nigeria as a whole. Studies have shown that women suffer from poverty more frequently than men do, and their experiences of poverty are quite different as a result of expectations regarding gender roles.6 The Irrua have shown, in their own small way, that women can do great things that even some men can't. These women have enviable leadership charisma, 53 potential, and skills. Depriving a society of an essential component, a crucial link in the political, economic, and sociocultural development of any society, involves excluding women from the development process. Women in Irrua provide their husbands with love, care, and support; taking care of young children and doing household chores together make up the "care economy." That is, they are specialists in social and emotional issues who focus on reducing conflict and strengthening relationships to solve interpersonal issues.
