Unequal participation of genders in democratic processes: a product of polarization of parents’ roles and children’s upbringing in Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT At early childhood, female children face relative restrictions in social interactions and freedoms compared to their male counterparts. Using mixed methods, we examine how the polarization of parents’ roles in children’s upbringing leads to unequal participation of both genders in democratic processes in Nigeria. The secondary sources of data show an insignificant number of women in elected positions, compared to men. We discovered that parents’ lopsided and role-polarization during their children’s upbringing favor male children over female children. Since every human development is related to the past and the future, the earlier exposure of male children to qualitative education, utmost concern for their needs, and their early exposure to socio-political and cultural engagements by their fathers’ influence their active participation in democratic processes than the female children. This paper concludes that children’s upbringing foreshadows their adult lives; therefore, there is a need for more awareness policies for parents’ joint care of their children, irrespective of their gender.