Opportunities and Challenges of Women’s Political Participation in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

Felicia Hembadoon Orbunde; Ibrahim S. YarZever

doi:10.56201/jpaswr.v11.no6.2026.pg184.192

📄 Download Paper

Opportunities and Challenges of Women’s Political Participation in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

Felicia Hembadoon Orbunde, Ibrahim S. YarZever

Abstract

Women's political participation remains a critical indicator of democratic governance and inclusive development, yet their representation in political leadership continues to be disproportionately low in Northern Nigeria. This study examined the opportunities and challenges associated with women's political participation in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study explored the opportunities available for women's active political participation and investigated the challenges hindering their effective involvement in politics. The study was anchored on Liberal Feminist Theory and adopted a mixed-methods research design. The study population comprised 149,226 residents, from which a sample of 400 respondents was selected using the Taro Yamane formula, while 20 participants were purposively selected for Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions . Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires, KIIs, and FGDs, while secondary data were obtained from relevant scholarly and policy sources. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that although legal and policy frameworks provide opportunities for women's political participation, meaningful participation remains constrained by limited access to financial resources, inadequate support from political parties, weak community and family support, and the absence of mentorship programmes. The study further established that entrenched cultural norms, gender stereotypes, discrimination, and economic barriers significantly hinder women's effective participation in politics, resulting in low political representation, limited influence in decision-making, and increasing political apathy among women. The study concludes that legal provisions alone are insufficient to guarantee meaningful political participation without complementary institutional, economic, and socio-cultural support mechanisms. It therefore recommends strengthening gender-responsive political policies, expanding mentorship and leadership development programmes, providing targeted financial support for female political aspirants, and intensifying public enlightenment to challenge discriminatory socio-cultural norms that restrict women's political participation.

Keywords

Women's political participationgender equalitypolitical representationliberal feminism.

References

Aina, O. (2018). Women's political participation in Nigeria: Historical perspectives and contemporary challenges. Journal of African Studies, 15(2), 45–60. Akinyemi, O. (2020). Gender and politics in Nigeria: An overview of women's representation and participation. Nigerian Journal of Political Science, 12(1), 25–40. Burnet, J. E. (2012). Gender balance and the effectiveness of women's political participation in Rwanda. African Studies Review, 55(1), 47–70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0002020600006410 Chuku, W. (2009). The Nigeria CEDAW NGO coalition shadow report 2004–2008. United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Fidelis, F. (2025). Challenges to women's active political participation in Northern Nigeria: Education, religion, and economic constraints. Religion and Policy Journal, 3(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.15575/rpj.v3i1.2250 George, A. T. (2019). Women, money and politics in Nigeria. In Money, Politics and Corruption in Nigeria. International Foundation for Electoral Systems . Ibrahim, S., & Maija, A. M. (2025). Women prospects and challenges in Nigerian politics: Evidence from Northern Nigeria. Kashere Journal of Politics and International Relations, 3(3), 203–212. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. (2020). Women in politics: 2020. https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/women-politics-2020 Karam, A. (2019). The role of women in political participation: A comparative analysis. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(4), 389–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2019.1584600 Karuru, J. (2017). An assessment of gender inequality in democratic politics in Nigeria's Fourth Republic (1999–2003). International NGO Journal, 8(7), 138–145. Kayuni, R. J., & Chikadza, E. J. (2016). Women and political participation in Nigeria: A case study of Taraba State. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(8), 4975–4990. Krook, M. L., & Norris, P. (2014). Gender quotas and their impact on women's political representation. Comparative Political Studies, 47(9), 1234–1261. Kucici, A. M., & Buratai, H. A. (2025). Female political leadership and democratic inclusion in Northern Nigeria. Journal of African Advancement and Sustainability Studies, 7(2), 45– 61. Mackay, F. (2014). Gender, politics, and the state. Palgrave Macmillan. Musau, Z. (2019). African women in politics: Miles to go before parity is achieved. Africa Renewal. https://www.un.org/africarenewal/ Ogunbadejo, A. (2021). Assessing the impact of the National Gender Policy on women's political representation in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects. Nigerian Journal of Gender Studies, 8(2), 67–80. Okeke, C. (2020). Cultural barriers to women's political participation in Nigeria: An analysis. Journal of Gender Studies, 29(4), 407–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2019.1584600 O'Reilly, M. (2016). Women's political participation in local governance: A comparative study of three countries. International Journal of Public Administration, 39(8), 635–645. Salaudeen, A. (2025). Women in Nigerian politics: Challenges, achievements, and future prospects. Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 6(2), 62–75. Tong, R., & Botts, T. F. (2018). Feminist thought: A more comprehensive introduction (5th ed.). Routledge. jpaswr UN Women. (2021). Women's empowerment principles. https://www.unwomen.org/ United Nations. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women . https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments- mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against- women Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., & Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic voluntarism in American politics. Harvard University Press.

Opportunities and Challenges of Women’s Political Participation in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

More Articles from JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE RESEARCH