AN ASSESSMENT OF SOCIO-CULTURAL PRACTICE HINDERING WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS PARTICULARLY IN NIGERIA
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- NGN 3000
Statement of the Research Problem
Women‟s access to education, information and political leadership are impeded by traditions and prejudice instigated most times by socio-cultural and communication practices (Ashong C. and Herbert Batta, 2011).
Intervention campaigns to address these problems of leadership disparity in the late twentieth century took the shape of feminist movement which culminated into three basic policies that sought to ensure that women partake in political leadership. Norris (2010) outlined the policies as the rhetorical strategies, the affirmative action programs and the positive discrimination strategies. All these policies are political and public
statements or speeches proclaimed by successive government and applauded for tilting the way to paltry rise in women leadership but faulted for their lack of adequate communication approaches that would properly conscientize the society to act on socio- cultural practices that impede women political participation (Sadie, 2005).
As a socio-cultural organ, Mass Media has not been able to significantly change the apparent inequality in political participation between men and women in Nigeria. The mass media is said to have given inadequate attention to issues that are particularly significant to women leading to its inability to address socio-cultural practices militating against women‟s participation in politics. The impact of this failure according to Ashong and Batta, (2011) worsens prejudices against women and heightens the culture of poor political participation.
For example, the Nigerian home video industry is a socio-cultural organ that portrays a negative image of women through its messages. At the dusk of the twentieth century, Okunna, (2000) observed that, quite often, Nigerian home video was filled with negative images of women as immoral, materialistic, lazy, dependent and subservient to men. Consequently, research has shown that, this culture leaves youth, particularly girls, with feelings of inferiority and increases society‟s erroneous perceptions about the woman‟s leadership potentials (Okunna,2000; Ezeigbo,1996).
The family is another socio-cultural institution that communicates customs and value systems to its offspring. The traditional belief or system of attaching prominence to male children over their female counterpart even when they are older and more intelligent passes the wrong message to young people. Citing the example of the Hausa community, where seven and three ululations are reportedly used to welcome a newborn male and female respectively, Lanihun (2003) argues that, masculine is apparently rated higher than the feminine and this tends to give women a lower status in the family and society by extension.
The messages and teachings of religion according to feminist liberation theologians are patriarchal. The messages seek to subvert the woman and make her subjected to man. Okure, (1993) argues that, from the beginning, the society has been patriarchal which accounts for traces of patriarchal teachings and interpretation of the
„Holy Books‟ by the hitherto male-dominated field of theology. This she maintains is to make the man a permanent leader while the woman remains a follower.
Therefore, overtly or covertly, the combination of mass media, family and religion which are all socio-cultural organs, seem to fuel socio-cultural beliefs and attitudes that do not favor women‟s participation in political leadership. This reinforces gross inequality between men and women in politics and governance.
Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research is to enhance the participation of women in political leadership in Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State.
The study also has the following objectives
- To examine perceptions on male and female participation in political leadership in Kajuru LGA.
- To assess the level of women‟s participation in politics within the study are
- To identify and examine some cultural practices and attitudes hindering women vying for political positions within the LGA under investigation.
- To investigate the efficiency and efficacy of existing communication strategies used for women political sensitization within the study area.
- To suggest a communication framework that could enhance effective women political participation within the area of study.
Justification for the Study
Issues of women political leadership in recent times have been treated with a high level of concern the world over. The recent adoption, (by Heads of States) of the declaration by United Nations Organization for 35% affirmative action on the right of women to occupy political positions is a pointer to the fact that, women are left behind as far as national and international politics are concerned.
Evidence presented by (Sadie, 2005) has shown that, the 35% affirmative action that seeks to place women in political position was relatively not working in most African countries except in South-Africa and Mozambique, where there was 32.8% and 37.2% achievement respectively. In Nigeria, the situation leaves much to be desired as the percentage of women in the national assembly was put at 6.9% (Norris and Inglehart, 2010).
According to Nigerian Weekly Trust October (2010), president Olusegun Obasanjo‟s administration witnessed a high number of women in his cabinet and perhaps the highest point for Nigerian women when Patricia Etteh became the speaker of the House of Representative. More women were also on the scene during the late President Umaru Musa Yar‟adua as well as President Goodluck Jonathan‟s administration; yet 35% realization of affirmative action is still a mirage even when some political parties have granted waivers to women. The questions that are begging for answers are: What is responsible for this failure? Where are the women? Why are they not largely in political positions?
It is in an attempt to answer the above questions that this research undertakes a comprehensive study on the relationship between culture, development communication and women participation in politics. It is believed that, the findings and recommendations of this research would go a long way in empowering women politically and helping in achieving 35% affirmative action for a sustainable social transformation from grassroots to national politics.
Research Questions
To achieve the objectives of this research, the following questions are presented:
- How is male participation different from female participation in politics in kajuru LGA
- What is the level of women participation in political leadership in kajuru L.G.A.
- What are the hinderances to adequate participation of women in political participation
- What kinds of communication strategies are used for political conscientization and how accessible are they to women?
- What alternative strategies can be used to foster adequate women political participation?
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