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Patriarchy and Women's Agricultural Production in Rural Nigeria
Abstract and Figures
The crucial importance of women's contribution to food security in developing countries like Nigeria cannot be over emphasized. It is estimated that about 80% of women in rural areas are engaged in food crops production. Rural women are regarded as the mainstay of small scale agriculture. In most developing countries such as Nigeria, the concern for increasing women's economic participation especially in food production can be seen within the wider general concern to alleviate the economic conditions of the poor households, especially those in the rural sector, majority of whom are-women and who occupy lower socioeconomic status compared to their male counterparts. Nigeria is a patriarchal society and inheritance is patrilineal which invariably-creates severe cultural inhibitions to the aspiration and productive capacity of women. This paper therefore discusses the constraints faced by women in Nigeria as producers and income earners for their families by focusing on women's burden of reproduction, decision making power, access to and ownership of land, capital, information and technology. In discussing this, it is recognized that both women and men are an integral part of the solution to increasing agricultural productivity and improving household food security and nutrition.
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... Of paramount importance to feminism is the effort to overcome challenges posed by patriarchy, which is believed to promote male dominance (Iruonagbe, 2009;Mackinnon, 1983). Patriarchy is seen as the cradle, harbinger, and foremost institution for power imbalance against women, and the base from which all other forms of gender disparity are constructed and reproduced. ...
... In many Nigerian families, men are perceived as the beacon and symbol of hope and continuity in terms of descent. At the level of ownership and access to land, many Nigerian women are also marginalized (Ajala, 2017;Iruonagbe, 2009). Land tenure system in Nigeria overtly discriminates against women as land ownership is based on the logic of inheritance and male children are the legatees to family lands. ...
The article explored the linkages between patriarchy and the high rate of women’s vulnerability to climate change. It examined how traditional beliefs, which underpin cultural division of roles between men and women, also increase the vulnerability of women to the adverse impacts of climate change. The article argued that the centralization of activities of women to occupations such as small-scale and rain-fed agriculture makes them more vulnerable to climate-related problems than the men. The article relied on desk review of secondary data. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Using Nigeria as a case study, the article showed how patriarchy paves way for high rate of exposure of women to adverse impacts of climate change. Patriarchy equips men with stronger adaptive capability, especially in the area of vocational flexibility and mobility. The study concludes that efforts made to avert undue exposure of women to climate change disasters must seek to address patriarchy and the structural issues arising from the confinement of women to livelihoods, which are vulnerable to climate change disasters.
... , 60-80% of rice farmers are women. In support of this assertion, Iruonagbe (2009) and George et al. (2014) noted that about 80% of women in rural areas are engaged in the production of food crops. Despite the integral roles they play in food production, processing and marketing, women's right to the occupation of land remains marginalised in the emerging economies. ...
Purpose
The Land Use Act of 1978 is a promoter of land occupation regardless of gender. However, the marginalisation of women in the occupation of land remains a serious concern. Hence, this study explored the inhibitors to women's right to occupy land in the Ajebamidele Community in Ile-Ife with a view to supporting the need for the proper implementation of land regulations.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study were elicited from 13 women who were purposively selected. With the aid of Atlas.ti software, the study took a phenomenological approach to the analysis of the data obtained during structured interviews with the respondents.
Findings
The results revealed the factors inhibiting women's right to occupy land were unavailability of finance, education status/awareness, intrapersonal factor, custom and tradition, mode of acquisition and socio-economic characteristics.
Practical implications
Like their male counterparts, the role that women play in national development are significant. As such, the findings of this study will assist the government in the formulation of policy for the proper implementation of the current land policies and regulations.
Originality/value
Only a few attempts have been made to study the inhibitors to women's right to occupy land using the qualitative approach in emerging economies.
... On the other hand, regional differences could be in fact related to patriarchy differences in different regions of West Bank. Patriarchy is well-known determinant of womens' health including women of childbearing age, particularly health seeking behavior and income that may affect food intake [13][14][15] . ...
Abstract
Introduction: The relationship between second intifada and risk factors of chronic diseases was not
studied before in Palestine
Aims: The aims of this study is to describe differences in height , weight and BMI between different
generations of Palestinians who were born at different times in the armed con
... According to Rahman and Usman (2004), 60-80% of rice farmers are women. In support of this assertion, Iruonagbe (2009) and George et al. (2014) noted that about 80% of women in rural areas are engaged in the production of food crops. Despite the integral roles they play in food production, processing and marketing, women's right to the occupation of land remains marginalised in the emerging economies. ...
Purpose – The Land Use Act of 1978 is a promoter of land occupation regardless of gender. However, the marginalisation of women in the occupation of land remains a serious concern. Hence, this study explored the inhibitors to women’s right to occupy land in Ajebamidele Community in Ile-Ife with a view to supporting the need for the proper implementation of land regulations.
Design/methodology/approach – The data for the study were elicited from thirteen (13) women who were purposively selected. With the aid of Atlas.ti software, the study took a phenomenological approach to the analysis of the data obtained during structured interviews with the respondents.
Findings – The results revealed the factors inhibiting women’s right to occupy land were unavailability of finance, education status/awareness, intrapersonal factor, custom and tradition, mode of acquisition, and socio-economic characteristics.
Practical implications – Like their male counterparts, the role that women play in national development are significant. As such, the findings of this study will assist the government in the formulation of policy for the proper implementation of the current land policies and regulations.
Originality – Only a few attempts have been made to study the inhibitors to women’s right to occupy land using the qualitative approach in emerging economies.
... In both patrilineal and matrilineal societies, men are usually favoured by rules for inheritance and ownership of land. Iruonagbe (2009), asserted that in some societies in Nigeria, a girl child does not have access to land even after her father's death and a widow does not receive land; she only acts as a caretaker until her sons are grown. In some instances, a widow is willed along with the land to her deceased husband's brother. ...
The Nigerian society is a patriarchy society where men dominate over women most especially in access and control over productive resources and decision-making process. This limitation often has negative impacts on food security; most especially in urban areas where more than half of the world’s population now dwells. This study aimed at documenting the experiences of urban women farmers in accessing critical agricultural productive resources. The study engaged both quantitative and qualitative methods in designing the research. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 250 respondents, and information was elicited through the use of questionnaire, Key Informant Interview (KII), and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The study revealed that the urban female farmers in the study area have inadequate access to critical agricultural productive resources and are still making use of crude and traditional implements in their various agricultural activities. Likewise, through usufructuary rights, in reference to access to land the urban status quo is gradually weakening the patriarchal nature of the society.
... Existing literature highlights the link between secure land access and secure food security within households in rural settings (see FAO, 2011;Holden and Ghebru, 2016;Iruonagbe, 2009;Kassie et al., 2012). However, the relationship between gendered land rights and the ability of rural households to adapt to climate change and become food secure leaves a lot to be desired. ...
This paper argues that for any community transformation to be achieved, cultural values and legal frameworks, which influence issues relating to land rights and food security, must form an integral part of any policy intervention efforts. We adopted feminism as both a methodological and an analytical framework. The dominant research paradigm was qualitative. The study sample was 184 people obtained using a systematic sampling method. Data collection was through focus groups and interviews. We challenge contemporary development initiatives, in terms of their intentions and sustainability. Finally, it is important that any development initiatives facilitate the participation and involvement of all genders.
... Furthermore, supporting gender norms that privilege men as heads of household can be considered a strategy for ensuring that men uphold their part of the patriarchal bargain. When men withdraw from the bargain, this can present women with unbearable costs, including losing access to land, their homes, their status, and, in many parts of Nigeria under customary law, custody of their children (Iruonagbe, 2009;van Staveren & Ode Bode, 2007). ...
New agricultural technologies such as improved maize varieties (IMVs) promise important benefits – increased incomes, lower workloads, and better food security – among others. When such technologies are introduced, they can denaturalize and expose gender norms and power relations because the adoption of such technologies inevitably requires women and men to renegotiate the rules of the game. This article asks: How do women negotiate power relations and their expression in gender norms to secure benefits from improved maize varieties (IMVs), and more broadly, to expand their decision-making space? We draw on data from four Nigerian case-studies, two from the North and two from the Southwest. The findings are analyzed through a conceptual framework utilizing five different concepts of power. Findings are remarkably similar across all sites. Women are constrained by powerful gender norms which privilege men's agency and which frown upon women's empowerment. There is limited evidence for change in some contexts through expansion in women's agency. The implications for maize research and development is that an improved understanding of the complex relational nature of empowerment is essential when introducing new agricultural technologies.
Aging as a woman within the context of agricultural transformation where production and consumption values shape everyday life raises concerns of later life precarity. Gender economic inclusion is imperative in the achievement of inclusive rural development. But there is a tendency to homogenize female experiences of poverty based on gender and class, ignoring the impact of global economic and social changes on Uganda's rural economy and the elderly. Furthermore, in the agrarian context, precarity hinges on gender images of a desirable agricultural worker and neoliberal policies that exacerbate vulnerabilities of elderly women already living on the economic margins of global capitalism. Drawing on rural‐dwelling older women's narratives, this article reveals that precarity in an environment of agrarian capitalism is a product of conflict between the desire to maintain relationships of reciprocity and engagement in production. In this article, a five‐tier rural‐centric model relevant to conceptualising risk factors to precarity is proposed. The model is influenced by the Bourdieusian theory of capital and Gudeman's economy theory. The model provides an opportunity to re‐imagine and situate older women's later life precarity within the wider sociopolitical and economic context, and consequently design appropriate social protection initiatives.
Rural women play a significant role in domestic and socio-economic life of the society such that national development is not possible without developing this important and substantial segment of our society. Considering therefore, the importance of women in agriculture, this study was conducted to examine the role of women in farm management decision-making process. Data were collected in 10 areas of decision making, keeping in mind their importance for agricultural development. The Ordered Probit Model was employed in addition to the descriptive statististics to analyze the data. It was discovered that the socio-economic characteristics of the women farmers significantly affect their decision making in agriculture.
'Boserup's contribution to our thinking on women's role in development cannot be underestimated. Her keen observations, her use of empirical data and her commitment to greater gender equality are still an inspiration to students, researchers and activists who are interested in a better and more equal world.' From the new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin 'Women's Role in Economic Development has become a key reference book for anyone - student, scholar, or practitioner - interested in gender and development analyses. This book is important not only because it provided the intellectual underpinning of the Women in Development (WID) analysis, but also because of the lasting influence it had on the development of theoretical, conceptual, and policy thinking in the fields of women, gender, and development. The re-editing of Women's Role in Economic Development, with its new introduction, ensures students, academics, and practitioners continued access to an essential reference for those interested in the women and development literature.' Gender and Development This classic text by Ester Boserup was the first investigation ever undertaken into what happens to women in the process of economic and social growth throughout the developing world, thereby serving as an international benchmark. In the context of the ongoing struggle for women's rights, massive urbanization and international efforts to reduce poverty, this book continues to be a vital text for economists, sociologists, development workers, activists and all those who take an active interest in women's social and economic circumstances and problems throughout the world. A substantial new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin reflects on Boserup's legacy as a scholar and activist, and the continuing relevance of her work. This highlights the key issue of how the role of women in economic development has or has not changed over the past four decades in developing countries, and covers crucial current topics including: women and inequality, international and national migration, conflict, HIV and AIDS, markets and employment, urbanization, leadership, property rights, global processes, including the Millennium Development Goals, and barriers to change.
Brand new chapter on the Postmodernisation of Everyday Life