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Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration

Received: 12 August 2015    Accepted: 29 August 2015    Published: 8 September 2015
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Abstract

This paper examines the broad idea of gender and development with specific focus on some critical issues and challenges confronting the involvement of rural women in development activities in Nigeria. The paper addresses this issue through some theoretical and empirical review of literatures. Major impacts of women in rural development in Nigeria have been discussed and situated at historical perspectives through analysis of policies and programmes of government. Although women have served as critical agents of rural economic transformation, such role has been limited in scope, mostly shaped by the dictates of local patriarchy and religious beliefs. Their impacts have been felt indirectly in subsistent agriculture, and directly at the domestic domain. A number of challenges affecting their active involvement in rural development have been discussed to include the prevalence of cultural and institutional barriers as well as limited access to critical infrastructures in the rural areas. Policy recommendations focus on practical, legislative, legal and administrative actions that are particularly targeted at addressing those barriers.

Published in Social Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11
Page(s) 110-118
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Gender Mainstreaming, Rural Infrastructures, Cultural and Institutional Barriers, Women, Rural Development

References
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    Nseabasi S. Akpan. (2015). Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration. Social Sciences, 4(5), 110-118. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11

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    Nseabasi S. Akpan. Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration. Soc. Sci. 2015, 4(5), 110-118. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11

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    AMA Style

    Nseabasi S. Akpan. Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration. Soc Sci. 2015;4(5):110-118. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11,
      author = {Nseabasi S. Akpan},
      title = {Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration},
      journal = {Social Sciences},
      volume = {4},
      number = {5},
      pages = {110-118},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20150405.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20150405.11},
      abstract = {This paper examines the broad idea of gender and development with specific focus on some critical issues and challenges confronting the involvement of rural women in development activities in Nigeria. The paper addresses this issue through some theoretical and empirical review of literatures. Major impacts of women in rural development in Nigeria have been discussed and situated at historical perspectives through analysis of policies and programmes of government. Although women have served as critical agents of rural economic transformation, such role has been limited in scope, mostly shaped by the dictates of local patriarchy and religious beliefs. Their impacts have been felt indirectly in subsistent agriculture, and directly at the domestic domain. A number of challenges affecting their active involvement in rural development have been discussed to include the prevalence of cultural and institutional barriers as well as limited access to critical infrastructures in the rural areas. Policy recommendations focus on practical, legislative, legal and administrative actions that are particularly targeted at addressing those barriers.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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    T1  - Women and Rural Development in Nigeria: Some Critical Issues for Policy Consideration
    AU  - Nseabasi S. Akpan
    Y1  - 2015/09/08
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    JO  - Social Sciences
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    AB  - This paper examines the broad idea of gender and development with specific focus on some critical issues and challenges confronting the involvement of rural women in development activities in Nigeria. The paper addresses this issue through some theoretical and empirical review of literatures. Major impacts of women in rural development in Nigeria have been discussed and situated at historical perspectives through analysis of policies and programmes of government. Although women have served as critical agents of rural economic transformation, such role has been limited in scope, mostly shaped by the dictates of local patriarchy and religious beliefs. Their impacts have been felt indirectly in subsistent agriculture, and directly at the domestic domain. A number of challenges affecting their active involvement in rural development have been discussed to include the prevalence of cultural and institutional barriers as well as limited access to critical infrastructures in the rural areas. Policy recommendations focus on practical, legislative, legal and administrative actions that are particularly targeted at addressing those barriers.
    VL  - 4
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    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

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