Womanhood and Political Participation

Abstract

Womanhood entails the act of being a woman, while political participation has to do with politics; who gets what, when and how in the society. This paper examines the factors that affect political participation of women in Nigeria. The advancement, development and fortunes of any nation are tied to the kind and quality of the political leadership it has had and continues to have. However, leadership like other processes is 
gendered. As a consequence, women and men who attempt to lead in the political realm go through institutionalized gender power that shapes and structures their lived experience of leadership. In Nigeria, women make up a greater percentage of the human population and they have been known to have contributed and are contributing in no small measure to the development, advancement and sustenance of the society. 
Notwithstanding, some of them are not politically active in Nigeria, which among other things border on their humanness, value and the concept of equality, equity, justice and human rights. This paper discovers 
that there are factors that affect women political participation, such as, ignorance, lack of democratic culture among Nigerian populace, and the general negative mind-set about the nature and ability of women. This 
paper therefore, concludes that incorporating women into the political system is an avenue for political, social, and economic growth and progress of any nation.