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International
Journal of Political Science and Development |
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International Journal of Political Science and Development Vol. 5(5), pp. 145–160, August, 2017. DOI: 10.14662/IJPSD2017.025 ISSN: 2360-784X
Research Paper
Implementation of Nigeria's National Gender Policy, Revisiting the Affirmative Action
Ethel Innocent Amadi
Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. E-mail: ethelamadi@gmail.com
Accepted 30 July 2017
This paper
noted the fact that, equality in participation is central to building a
democratic culture of inclusiveness and accountability. It took a
critical look at the nature of implementation of the Nigeria's National
Gender Policy, which had focused on women over the years, yet much
significant change had not been recorded in their political positions
compared to the men. It examined the need to adopt the Affirmative
Action, as embedded in Nigeria's National Gender Policy objectives, for
strengthening the democratic process. The work was guided by the Third
World Feminist Theory, also known as the Gender and Development
Paradigm. It advocates equality, empowerment of women, and the
transformation of unequal gender power relations. Data was derived from
secondary sources and analysed, using the qualitative method. The paper
measured political empowerment by the number of seats held, and
percentage of females and males represented in both elective and
appointive positions in government. The paper noted that lack of
prioritization of empowerment of women, and inertia towards gender
equality goals, weakens the democratic process. Granting women access to
spheres of rulership, through the Affirmative Action, makes a political
and an economic sense. It concluded that empowering women politically,
and addressing the gender question, is a critical factor in creating
positive and sustainable impact on democratic governance. Cite This Article As: Amadi EI (2017). Implementation of Nigeria's National Gender Policy, Revisiting the Affirmative Action. Int. J. Polit. Sci. Develop. 5(5) 145-160.
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