Societal Norms and Women’s Leadership in Faith-Based Organizations: Evidence from Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Nanlop Elisha Fwangle; Prof. N. Alagbu; Prof. John N. Kwasau

doi:10.56201/ijrcp.vol.11.no2.2026.pg1.8

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Societal Norms and Women’s Leadership in Faith-Based Organizations: Evidence from Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Nanlop Elisha Fwangle, Prof. N. Alagbu, Prof. John N. Kwasau

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of societal norms on women’s leadership in faith-based organizations, drawing evidence from Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The main objective was to assess how prevailing social norms affect women’s participation in leadership within the church. Out of a population of 295,045, a randomly selected sample of 709 respondents was used to ensure adequate representation. Adopting a descriptive survey research design, data were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that entrenched cultural beliefs, patriarchal traditions, and expectations surrounding women’s domestic roles significantly hinder their advancement into senior leadership positions by fostering biased perceptions and recruitment practices that relegate them to supportive roles despite their proven competence. The study concludes that restricting women to auxiliary functions not only undermines their individual leadership growth but also weakens the overall effectiveness of the institution. Consequently, it recommends that Evangelical Church Winning All should implement intentional gender-sensitization and leadership development initiatives to challenge patriarchal assumptions and encourage favourable attitudes towards women’s leadership among both clergy and congregants. In addition, the church is urged to adopt transparent, merit-driven leadership selection processes that emphasize theological qualification, experience, and leadership ability P-ISSN 2695-219X rather than gender, thereby ensuring equitable opportunities for capable women to occupy senior leadership roles. Key Words: Societal Norms, Women’s Leadership, Faith-Based Organizations, Evangelical Church Winning All, Kaduna State

Keywords

Societal NormsWomen’s LeadershipFaith-Based OrganizationsEvangelical Church Winning AllKaduna State

References

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Societal Norms and Women’s Leadership in Faith-Based Organizations: Evidence from Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

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References

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