Poverty and the attendant impacts on Nigerian rural women participation in politics: implications for sustainable democracy and good governance

Abstract

Poverty has been identified as one of the major problems facing people in the developing world. In developing countries and more importantly in Nigeria, various governments have undertaken a wide range of poverty alleviation programmes purposely to "eradicate poverty". This paper therefore examined the effects of poverty on rural women's participation in politics. The paper argues the fact that those women constitute the bulk of the labour force in rural areas, they are, therefore, a very vital resource in democracy and good governance. However, these rural women are not only poor, but are often neglected and marginalized in the formal political system, owing to traditional beliefs and practices which inhibit their participation in the conduct and management of their public affairs. The study concludes, that for effective or active participation of rural women in politics, the government should adopt appropriate policies that would enhance the status of women economically, socially, educationally, and politically and this could be done through appropriate training and education, among others.