Poverty, Feminism And Gender Inequality In Africa: A Case Of Nigeria
Uju R. Ezenekwe
Department of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
Collins C. Umeghalu
Department of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
Keywords: Poverty, Gender, Inequality, Africa
Abstract
: Premised on the conjecture that poverty is one of the major root causes of gender inequality, the paper attempts to determine if efforts directed towards reducing poverty would narrow gender gap in Africa. The study used the Ordinary Least Squares method and Granger causality test to evaluate the impact of poverty rate on gender inequality and to examine the causal relationship between them respectively, in Nigeria from 1990 - 2019. While misery index was used to measure poverty, female to male ratio of labour participation, gender parity in primary school enrollment and difference in the proportion of males and females with vulnerable employment were used to measure gender inequality. The results of the study show that poverty shares a statistically significant negative relationship with female to male ratio of labour participation and gender parity in primary school enrollment, and a statistically significant positive relationship with difference in the proportion of males and females with vulnerable employment. The causality test result shows no causal relationship between poverty rate and gender inequality. The study concludes that reduction of poverty rate reduces gender inequality and the study recommends that the energy and resources expended towards closing gender gaps in Africa should be channeled towards reducing poverty. It also recommends that poverty reduction initiatives be void of discrimination against the males, since such biases only justify the very menace that effort is being made to eliminate