GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND ATTITUDE OF WOMEN TOWARDS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN NASARAWA

This paper investigates gender discrimination and political participation of women for development in Nasarawa State. This descriptive research design has emphasis on survey approach. The population for the study comprised of all women in three senatorial zones of Nasarawa State, out of which 600 women were randomly selected from the three senatorial zones in the State. One research question and three hypotheses were postulated to guide the study. A questionnaire was administered to gather relevant data. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions while hypotheses were tested using t-test and analysis of variance. The findings show that, Nigerian women have a negative attitude towards political participation due to obstacles that undermine women's participation in politics. As a result; gender, religion and age of women were found to have a significant influence on women discrimination towards political participation in Nasarawa State. The study recommended that government should ensure women are provided with the opportunity to compete effectively and fully in politics.