PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF WOMEN EXCLUSION IN POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AND APPOINTMENTS IN ENUGU STATE
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Date
2021
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Social Science, University of Ilorin
Abstract
Women in Nigeria seem to constitute more than fifty percent of the population, yet they
are relegated to the background. They seem to have occupied the backseat in the
mainstream political process, representation and appointments compared to their male
counterparts especially in Enugu state. For a nation to grow and develop, women must
be actively involved in governance. This paper examines the public perception of
women exclusion in political representation and appointments in Enugu State.
Qualitative methods such as interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were
employed to gather information from participants of 18 years and above across the
three senatorial zones of the state. The liberal Feminist Theory was adopted as the
theoretical framework. Data collected were transcribed and analysed thematically.
Results show that cultural expectations, religion and socio-economic status(income)
have been the causes of women's political timidity in Enugu state. Findings also show
that educational level, residence, fear of being initiated into occultic associations,
night meetings, use of thuggery in election and others tend to scare women from
seeking political appointments or elective positions. The paper however recommends
among other things an effective sensitization of women to take more visible roles in
politics, building synergy with key political stakeholders and laying more emphasis on
women education.
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Keywords
Public perception, Politics, Political representation, Political appointment, Women