Gendered Dimensions of Political Participation in Nigeria: Barriers, Strategies, and Emerging Trends (1999—2023)

Abstract

This paper examines the gendered aspects of political participation in Nigeria since 1999 to 2023. It is based on the challenges that have restrained female engagement into politics, ways that have been adopted to enhance their presence in the political landscape, and new trends that are influencing gender participation into the realm of governance. The study seeks to know the factors that have led to the poor participation of women in political leadership and look at the effectiveness of different intervention that aim to reduce the gender gap. The study is informed by three research questions, namely: (1) What do you consider the main obstacles to women participation in politics in Nigeria? ii) What measures have been applied to facilitate gender inclusiveness in politics? What are some of the emerging trends in influencing participation of women in politics in the period 1999 to the year 2023? The research is mixed-methods oriented. Electoral commission records, gender statistics and reports produced by political parties were used to generate quantitative data. The data collected pertained to the qualitative side of the research with semi-structured interviews being used to collect information on female politicians, party leaders, and civil society actors. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. Results indicate that cultural norms, economic limitations, violence and party structure dominated by men are among the significant barriers. Nonetheless, gender lobbying, political sponsorship, quota politics, and social media activism among others have opened doors to new possibilities of women. The latest pattern shows a gradual increase in gender movements led by the youth and online political activism among women. The paper draws a conclusion that although improvement has been achieved, system and institutional change still remains required. Inclusion of women in democracy in Nigeria can be encouraged through policy interventions like implementation of gender quotas, financing, political sensitization.