Party Women Leaders and Women Participation in Nigeria’s Party Politics

• In Event: Women's Political and Civic Participation

Abstract

Nigeria has a challenging record of women's political participation and limited cases of women in leadership positions. Despite 49.3 percent of the total population being female in Nigeria, Nigeria ranks 182nd out of 190 countries in terms of women's representation in the lower house of parliament, with only 3.6% of seats being occupied by women (13 out of 360 seats) with 7.3% women’s representation (8 out of 109 seats) in the senate the upper house and 151st in the percentage of female cabinet ministers, with only 10.7%, which is 3 out of 28 ministers. Studies on women's political participation in Nigeria are dominantly premised on the notion that the patriarchal society and associated politics have rendered women marginalized. Steps are often being taken to redress the situation to some extent. One of these is the creation of the position of women leaders from ward to national levels by all political parties. This was aimed at giving women representation in the topmost decision-making level of the political parties. The women leaders are expected to represent women in the expos and recruit more women to the parties and mobilize them for elections. They are, therefore, important members of the executive board. However, despite the importance attached to the position of women leaders and their strategic roles in mobilizing women for political participation, there has not been any major study on women leaders and their impacts on women’s political mobilization and representation in Nigeria. Against this background, this research examines the post of women leaders and its effects on women’s participation in Nigeria’s party politics. Both primary and secondary data will be used. The primary data will be collected through phone interviews with some women leaders, party members and elected or appointed women in the ruling party APC, from the leading opposition party PDP and others from civil society groups, media, and academics. In contrast, the secondary data will be sourced from texts such as newspapers, journals, and books. This research will adopt qualitative data analysis with discourse and content analysis elements.
Keywords: party politics, political party, women leader, women participation

Author

• Nife Elizabeth Ogunbodede, University of Delaware