Poor Economic Status Hinders Women's Participation in Political Elective Positions: A Case Study of Taraba South Senatorial District

Abstract

Gender inequality in politics has been a debatable issue all over the world,
in Africa and Nigeria in particular. The marginalization of women in
elective positions by men in Nigeria poses a serious threat to the tenets of
democracy. This paper aims to examine how poor economic status hinders
women’s participation in political elective positions using a case study of
Taraba South senatorial district. The paper employed a mixed-method
descriptive cross-sectional survey research design and applied liberal
feminist theory to the study. The sample size was 384 out of 660,220 men
and women of voting age. The respondents comprised electoral officers,
party officials, and party members. A validated structured questionnaire
and key informant interview (KII) were used for data collection. Results
were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation,
and thematic analysis of KII. The study’s findings revealed that the inability
of women to participate in elective positions in the Taraba South sena torial
district is attributed to economic/financial power. The researchers
recommend that certain elective positions be reserved exclusively for
women.