The lack of financial empowerment, access to quality education and poverty have been identified as the top socio-economic challenges women face in Nigeria, despite their global recognition as key contributors to economic development in any country, the report of a survey conducted by NOIPolls has revealed.
According to the result which was released in Abuja, 42 percent of Nigerians who participated in the survey said women lacked financial empowerment 35 percent said women experience poverty while 33 percent agreed that women lacked access to quality education.
The survey result indicates that that women residing in the South-West zone accounted for the largest proportion of Nigerians who mentioned lack of financial empowerment. This response, the report noted, may be influenced by women living in Lagos State, considering that the State is the economic hub of Nigeria.
Similarly, women from the North-East said poverty was the main challenge in the zone, while a larger share of women from the North-West zone stated that lack of access to quality education is one of the toughest issue women in the region face.
The survey further found several other socio-economic challenges women face to include gender inequality, sexual abuse, cultural discrimination, gender discrimination in employment, religious discrimination, physical abuse, domestic violence and rape.
The NOIPolls, while noting that women constitute nearly 50 percent of the population regretted that there is still a gross gender gap between men and women, especially in political representation, economic management and leadership due to obnoxious social norms, political exclusion and economic disparity which dictate the presence and voice of women in Nigeria.
To this end, the respondents advocated for the establishment of vocational training programmes, improved access to quality healthcare and healthcare professionals and access to soft loan facilities from the government.
Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja
