How Gender Is Recognised in Economic and Education Policy Programmes and Initiatives: An Analysis of Nigerian State Policy Discourse

Ethel Ewoh-Odoyi

doi:10.3390/socsci10120465

Abstract

Many African states are involved in the frontline discourse on the fight for gender equality through the adoption of public policies, aiming to improve the lives of women through social, economic, and political development. In Nigeria, despite the adoption of Article 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 adapted from the United Nations principles of gender equality, which provides for equality and elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the Nigerian state still struggles with different forms of gendered marginalisation issues against women in various aspects of Nigerian society; these issues are mainly due to cultural, economic, and legislative challenges. Therefore, this article explores how gender is recognized through public policy programmes and initiatives using a qualitative content analysis of relevant policy documents. The documents were collected from various government ministries and cover policy areas that represent entrepreneurship and economic activities in Nigeria between 2000 and 2020. The analysis confirms the recognition of gender in public policies by subjective bias and mediating access to education for female gender advancement in Nigerian society. Some gender gaps were also recognized and discussed in the article.

Highlights

In recent years, there has been continued attention to public policies as an instrument for national development and poverty reduction
The analysis focused on how gender is recognised through public policy programmes and initiatives
The low attendance of school children in Nigeria has been characterised by various factors, such as poverty, economic demands, and socio-cultural factors that hinder girls’ education in policy documents

Summary

Introduction

There has been continued attention to public policies as an instrument for national development and poverty reduction. Policy programmes refer to policy objectives used by governments across the world to promote a wide range of activities. This includes, but is not limited to, educational policy, health policy, entrepreneurship policy, employment policy, agricultural policy, gender policy, housing policy, infrastructure development, and taxation policies. Public policies do offer legal protection for the state in relation to rules, laws, and regulations, but through policies, programmes, and initiatives, governments provide support to address issues of socio-economic problems such as lack of finance, education, unemployment, cultural, religious, and gender discrimination (Ileana and Cornel 2017; Damon et al 2016; Profeta 2020). In view of the above-mentioned issues, the aim of this article is to analyse how gender is recognized through public policy programmes and initiatives in the Nigerian policy context aimed at promoting or supporting female entrepreneurs

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Conclusion