GADA decries imbalance in women’s participation in governance

Gender and Development Action-Centre (GADA) and female political stakeholders in Cross River State have decried imbalance in women’s participation in governance both at the state and national levels.

The women stated their displeasures, yesterday, in Calabar at a one-day town hall meeting with community stakeholders with the theme, ‘To encourage Increased Women Political Participation and Representation, Support for Women Aspirants and Increased Women Voter Turnout during the March 2023 Elections in Cross River State’.

The programme was organised by a local women’s rights organisation, Gender and Development Action-Centre for Educational Training and Development Activities (GADA-CETDA) and implementing partner, the Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria Project (WVLP) with support from ActionAid and Global Affairs Canada.

Making reference to the outcome of the just concluded parties’ primaries; they accused political actors of sustained poor representation and gender imbalance against women. They noted that the primaries produced less than 10 per cent success for female aspirants, who vied for various positions.

The Project Coordinator of WVLP, Mrs. Francisca Effiom, said the organisation’s objective is centered on tackling the barriers hindering increased participation of women in politics and decision-making.

She added: “Women inclusion and participation in governance cannot be over emphasised because research has shown that inadequate number of women in decision-making positions explain the country’s low investment and slow progress in some crucial sectors of human development.”

In a paper, the guest speaker from the Department of Social Works, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Calabar (UNICAL) Dr. Esther Archibong, said one of the likely challenges women face in political participation is patriarchy where the society ruled and dominated by men over women, revealing that it has resulted in women being looked at as mere housewives and some considered as properties or mere helpers in times of need.