Politics of Gender Exclusion and Representative Democracy in Nigeria.

Abstract

This study examined the politics of gender exclusion and representative democracy in Nigeria. The objective is to shed light on the persistent challenges faced by women in Nigerian politics, despite constitutional provisions and policy statements promoting gender inclusion. The liberal feminist theory as was popularized by J. S. Mill was adopted. According to this theory, the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the sexes is wrong and should be replaced with a fair and perfect equality. three research objectives were formulated to guide the study. The mixed method was used for data collection and analysis. The research revealed that women are significantly underrepresented in both appointive and elective positions. This under- representation could be attributed to various barriers, including patriarchal norms and societal contempt for women in politics. In view of these structural biases and barriers to women’s political participation, some recommendations offered were; implementation of deliberate policies and legislations that target women quotas and affirmative action; women should be economically empowered through access to education, employment and credit facilities because, feminized poverty calls for interventions to reduce wealth disparities, among others.

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