Patriarchy and governance: Interrogating gender issues in political participation in Nigeria

Abstract

Ideal democratic governance is not often determined by the composition of its institutions, but rather by their openness to uniformity, fairness, and equal political participation of the diverse groups that make up the society. Thus, the success or failure of an ideal democracy is entirely dependent on the ‘policy of inclusion,’ or the equal distribution of political power between men and women within a state.  The principle of chauvinism, on the other hand, has been used in a variety of ways to deny women the right to govern. To summarize, the Nigerian political system and governance process are largely dictated, dominated, and classified on a masculine basis. This study examines the interplay between patriarchy, governance and political participation in Nigeria with a focus on the unequal power relations between men and women in governance in Nigeria. The paper utilizes qualitative research method and relies mainly on data collected from secondary sources. The research is based on the social liberal feminist theory of gender politics. Findings of the study revealed that participation in governance in Nigeria is not gendered as it usually exhibits the tendencies for male democracy. Among others, the paper recommends opened and competitive political space that will give equal participation opportunities to both men and women in the society.