Improving Female Participation in Politics Women politics around the world has generally been lacking.

According to WomenWatch, womens current participation in legislatures around the world is currently at 15 percent. Moreover, a 2005 UNDP report states that there are only 12 countries where women hold 33% or more seats in the parliaments. Judging by these figures, one would extrapolate that the population of men compared to women would be disproportionate, with a majority of the population being men. However, women actually comprise slightly more than half of the world population. More importantly, their impact on the social and economic development of society supersede that of men given their dual tasks in the economic and reproductive domains. Given the disproportionate amount of service given by women, one would assume that women would have a much significant role in decision making on a national level. Evidently, this has not been the case. In spite of the picture that the general statistic paints, some countries have seen an increase in the level of female participation. Specifically, attention to women participation in politics in Africa has increased. The 2005 election of Ellen JohnsonSirleaf as President of Liberia was an important milestone. The 2003 parliamentary election in Rwanda resulted in a lower house of parliament that is 48.8 per cent female. That country now ranks first in the world in terms of women in national parliaments. Meanwhile, female political participation in Nigeria seems to be moving at a dilatory pace. National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Lai Olurode Olurode noted that Nigeria lags far behind in women political participation index on the African continent, saying: Nigerian women have about the worst representation of 5.9% in the national legislature when compared to most other African countries, e.g. Uganda (34.6%), South Africa (43.2%), Ethiopia (27.7%), Cameroon (20%), Niger (12.3%) and DR Congo (8.0%). In 2011, only 24 seats out of 352 seats in Congress went to women. Women also find it hard to participate in politics due to limited time available to them because of their dual roles in the productive and reproductive spheres. With their primary roles as mothers and wives and competing domestic responsibilities and care work, they are left with little time to participate in politics. Given that most women are expected to fit into a repressive social structure of masculinity. Currently, politics has become an investment wherein huge sums of money are needed. Financial backing means the difference between winning and losing an election. Money is needed to pay for advertising, staff and travels. On an average, Nigerian women lack the financial resources necessary to shoulder the exorbitant cost of an election. Moreover, many women lack the social capital necessary to survive in such a male dominated career. Where a majority of influential individuals are male, it could be

difficult for a woman to make necessary connections. As a result, the social and political capital available to the men is nonexistent for women. The role of women in the family makes it difficult for many of them to become politicians. Women tasked with the duty of taking care of the children and the home might have to discard some of their familial duties, and a majority of women cannot make such a sacrifice. A method that has been effective in several countries is the quota system where a number of political seats are allotted to only women. This way, women have a certain chance of being represented politically. India and Rwanda are examples of success stories where the use of quotas has led to increased participation of women in politics. Two pieces of legislature enabled and supported women into leadership positions: the Security Council Resolution of 1325 urged women to take part in the post-conflict reconstruction and the 2003 Rwandan Constitution included a mandated quota of 30% reserved seats for all women in legislature. More importantly, this use of quotas has lead to the rise in awareness that women can competently perform the role of men in politics. By giving them an opportunity where none would otherwise exist- to show their abilities, women can certainly excel in these political positions. For example, political reservation for women has impacted the aspirations and educational attainment for teenage girls in India. More women are likely to run for political positions knowing that they have female predecessors who have actively and successfully participated in the political sphere. The gender quotas, therefore, need to be linked with the social and economic redistributive justice in the society. However, the problem faced by the quota system is that the legislation for a quota allotment needs to have the power to be adhered to in order for them to be effective. In nations where such quota rules are non-enforceable, the prospect of more females in politics constitutes more bark than bite. Sadly, that might be a problem in Nigeria. Uju Obiora said, The quota system is so commonly referred to in Nigeria. The last administration which ended last May promised to be committed to 30 per cent but did not achieve close to half of it. With the present administration, it is not yet clear if there will be much commitment to a quota system as appointments made so far had even fewer women. Another means of increasing female participation in politics could be through collectives. Collectives can address such issues as nutrition, education, shelter, food distribution, and generally improved standard of living. Empowering such collectives can increase their reach to the women most in need of support and empowerment. A collective like education of females could potentially increase the rate of female participation in the long run. Education leads to higher income level. Hence, women with higher levels of education earn significantly more than those with no academic background. As such increasing the number of women who gain access to education increased the number of women who could potentially go into politics later on in the future, as they are more likely to have the necessary

resources to survive in a political climate. An inclusive political system can radically improve the issues of legislation and allocation of resources faced by an eclectic Nigerian population. By making efforts to improve the rate of female participation in Nigeria, we ensure that the country benefits from a wider range of opinions, concerns and beliefs. Additionally, we empower a large majority of the people of the nation to strive for greater goals. And in the end, we all collectively benefit as a nation when women are uplifted and empowered.

Reference: http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/nigeria-needs-more-women-politics-olurode Beaman, Lori, Esther Duflo, Rohini Pande, and Petia Topalova. 2012. "Female Leadership Raises Aspirations and Educational Attainment for Girls: A Policy Experiment in India." Science Magazine 335:582-6.