On September 25, 2025, Claire Adida, a Senior Fellow at FSI, shared new research on women and politics in Nigeria. She spoke at a CDDRL seminar about how to help women take part in political life. The talk was called “Overcoming Barriers to Women’s Political Participation: Evidence from Nigeria.”
The Problem of Low Political Participation
In many countries, women now have the legal right to vote. However, even with this right, many women still play a lesser role in politics. Political participation is more than just voting. It includes attending meetings, talking about community issues, or contacting leaders. When women do not take part, their voices are not heard, and policies do not reflect their needs. This problem is especially big in hybrid democracies like Nigeria, where informal political participation matters a lot.
Nigeria’s Gender Gap in Political Participation
Nigeria is a large and diverse country, but it is also very patriarchal. Many people still believe men make better leaders. Almost half of Nigerian men hold this view. Surveys show that two in five women never talk about politics with family or friends. Women also attend fewer meetings and are less likely to contact leaders. These gaps show how far behind women are in political participation.
Barriers to Political Participation
The research team looked at three types of barriers. First are resource barriers, like lack of time, skills, or information. Second are norms, which are social rules that tell women to stay away from politics. Third are psychological barriers, like low confidence or the feeling that they cannot make change. The study focused on the second and third barriers.
Testing Solutions in Nigeria
The team worked with ActionAid Nigeria. They studied 450 rural wards in three states. Local leaders helped them find groups of women, aged 21 to 50, who were allowed by their families to join. Everyone started with one session on local government. After that, three groups were formed. One group got no more training. One group of women had five months of training on leadership and advocacy. A third group added five sessions for men, asking husbands to support women’s political participation.
What the Study Found
The results were clear. Women who received training became more active in politics. They joined meetings, spoke to leaders, and felt more confident. The trainings also made women believe that groups working together could create change. This shows that women-focused training can raise political participation.
The men’s training had weaker results. It did not add much to women’s political participation. In some cases, it even had small negative effects, like fewer grant applications. But the men’s training still had some good points. Men became more supportive of women in leadership, and they believed their communities were more open to women’s roles.
Lessons for Political Participation
Adida explained that the small results for men may be because many were already supportive. Or maybe change in men’s behavior takes longer. But the study proved that training for women is very powerful. It builds confidence, group strength, and higher political participation. Changing men’s views may need longer-term strategies.
Final Thoughts
Political participation is key for women in Nigeria. The study shows that training programs help women feel stronger and more engaged. Men’s support matters too, but women-focused action gives the biggest results. Nigeria needs to invest in such programs if it wants women’s voices heard in politics.
Conclusion
Women’s political participation is not just about fairness. It is about building better communities and stronger nations. To learn more about women’s rights and empowerment tools, visit genderpedia.ng/shop.
