WOMEN AND POLITICAL MARGINALIZATION IN NIGERIA

Ake Modupe¹; Rasak Bamidele^2; Olowojolu  Olakunle³; Oye Olubukoye⁴ &  Ake Susan⁵

^1,3Department of Political Science 2; Department of Sociology College of Business and Social Sciences, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State

 ^4,5Department of Mass Communication Base University, Abuja

E-mail: delerasak@yahoo.co.uk, delerasak@gmail.com

Abstract

The word marginalization is a social process of becoming or being relegated to the fringe of society. Marginalization at the individual level results in an individual’s exclusion from meaningful participation in society. An example of marginalization at the community level is the marginalization of women. Women are excluded from the labour force and their work in the home is not economically valued and compensated. Feminists’ theorists argued that women should equally participate in the labour force, both in the public and private sectors. Today, it is argued that women are still marginalized from executive positions and continue to earn less than men at upper management cadres. In this study, the concept of marginalization and women political participation is critically examined. It also examines the steps and procedures being followed in order to encourage women to participate in politics during the last democratic dispensation of the Jonathan administration; for example, the Women for Change Initiative and the Women Empowerment Programme. The study examines the problems faced by women during elections in Nigeria due to violence; harassment and electoral malpractices and the level of performance of various women elected into various offices.

Keywords: Marginalization, Women participation, Political participate n, Political administration