The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) and the Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms( ALIGN) are disseminating the much-awaited findings on gender norms and women in appointive positions in Nigeria.
International Development partners, Embassies and High Commissions, CSOs, Media, politicians, public office holders, and women’s associations were in attendance, with the Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, as the Guest of honour.
The research looked at the deeply ingrained Norms and traditions in Nigeria that have systematically marginalised women, relegating them to subordinate roles within both public and private spheres.
One of the key findings shows that between 1999, when democracy returns, and 2023, only 55 women occupied high positions as against men who occupied 326 appointing positions.

Some key findings of the research were;

• Nigerian media often exhibit bias against women in public appointive positions at the national level, portraying them as weak and incompetent and questioning their credibility. This contrasts with more neutral reporting on men holding similar positions, demonstrating a clear gender bias in media coverage. Such bias draws from and reinforces harmful gender norms and hampers the acceptance of women in public appointive positions whilst also reinforcing gender inequalities.
• In both northern and southern regions, deeply ingrained gender stereotypes challenge women’s suitability for public leadership. In Northern Nigeria, these stereotypes lead women to question their roles in the public domain and are rooted in religious and cultural norms. In Southern Nigeria, women strive to be confident and often rely on social institutions to function in public roles.
• In Northern Nigeria, women often rely on connections and networks with men to gain acceptance and leadership positions. In Southern states, political networks seem to have less influence on public appointments. There is a belief that government structures do not hamper women’s leadership, yet women face structural and cultural biases, including harassment, unequal expectations, and discrimination by male superiors. These biases result in harsher judgements about women and hinder their access to leadership positions despite their equal performance.
• Women appointees expressed frustration that societal expectations place higher demands on them because of their gender, believing that this prevents them from advancing in their roles. Education was seen as a powerful tool to support women appointees in the North, where many have postgraduate degrees. This reinforces the need to improve education access to overcome patriarchal norms and promote women in high-level appointive positions

For further information read the full report here Nigerian media unfair, biased in reporting women in appointive positions – Report (premiumtimesng.com)