WOMEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A STUDY OF IMO STATE (2015 – 2019)

Abstract

This study focused on women’s socioeconomic status and political participation
in Imo State (2015–2019). The study was carried out to identify the extent of women’s political
participation. Two research objectives, two research questions and two research hypotheses,
guided the study. For the methodology, a survey research design was used, and a questionnaire
served as the instrument for data collection. The population of the study covers all 150 political
party executives—50 each from the 3 major political parties (APGA, PDP, and APC) in Imo
State and the entire CGC principal executives in the 671 autonomous communities in Imo
State, from which 180 were sampled (out of 180 copies of the questionnaire distributed, only
170 were properly filled and returned). The data collected are presented in tables and were
analysed via simple percentages, and hypotheses were tested via chi-square tests. Low income
discourages women’s political participation, and women’s educational levels affect their
ability to stand for an election. On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that the
income of women in Nigeria be improved so that women can be financially viable to
participate in politics. Moreover, women should be allowed to engage in corporate
occupations, which will give them the needed prestige and financial improvement to participate
actively in politics.