Gender Inequality And Participatory Democracy In Nigeria: A Paradigm Shift

Abstract

Democracy requires that there should be equal opportunities for citizens to participate in decision-making process. This means that men and women must be equal stakeholders in the democratic process. On the contrary, there is asymmetrical relationship between males and females as males occupy higher pedestal in the democratic process, thereby marginalizing women in decision-making process. Often times, this inequality between males and females has been attributed to biological, cultural, economic, political and educational factors. The paper argues that rather than attribute it to the aforementioned factors, the negative attitude of women towards themselves should be held responsible for their low participation in the process of decision-making. The paper therefore suggests that a positive reorientation of women in political process is necessary for their effective political participation.