MALE DOMINANCE AND WOMEN POLITICAL RELEGATION IN NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

From old times up to the modern era, the issue of male dominance has continued to dominate the hot intellectual space regarding what constitutes the plight of women in the society. This project critically examines male dominance and women political relegation in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study was guided by the following objectives: To find out the relationship between male dominance and women political relegation in Nasarawa State; Identify the factors causing women political relegation in Nasarawa State politics; Find out the implications of male dominance to women political participation in Nasarawa State and explore the measures the government can take against women relegation in politics. The study adopted Radical Feminism for theoretical footings. Moreover, the study used both descriptive and inferential statistical tools for data collection and analysis. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to devise the study’s required population sample. The findings revealed that patriarchal structures, traditional belief, economic disadvantages, cultural practices, and gender policy gaps are key to women political relegation in the State. In bridging this gap, the study recommends amongst others that government should formulate and enforce gender balancing policies across all levels of government in the State, invest in women politics by deliberately providing funds and support for women political empowerment, establish Gender Equality Commission in the State with a view to advancing advocacies on development and implementation of gender-responsive policies and laws in the State and evolve networking platforms and mentorship programs that connect women aspiring to enter politics with established female leaders in the State and beyond.