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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA. Katy Peterson cp7835a@american.edu American University School of International Service. Research Question & Hypothesis. Research Question - Has support for women’s rights in Nigeria been impacted by demographic factors? If so, how?
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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA Katy Peterson cp7835a@american.edu American University School of International Service
Research Question & Hypothesis • Research Question - Has support for women’s rights in Nigeria been impacted by demographic factors? If so, how? • Research Hypothesis – Factors like gender, location, ethnicity, and religion can have a significant impact on support in women’s rights in Nigeria.
Literature Review Logan, Carolyn and Michael Bratton. “The Political Gender Gap in Africa: Similar Attitudes, Different Behaviors.” 2006. • Study the variation in values, attitudes, and behaviors through a gender lens in 15 African countries. They ask whether African women are different from men with regard to their political opinions and affiliation. • Findings - African women differ relatively little from men in their choices on political and economic issues. Where they do differ is in the way women answer the questions. The authors find more ambivalence in the women than me. These women consistently offer more neutral or unsure answers to questions than the men. Lewis, Peter. “Identity, Institutions and Democracy in Nigeria.” Afrobarometer, 2007 • Lewis measures peoples beliefs during various cycles of an election, to see how much of a shift occurs • Theorizes on social and political identities, challenging long existing assumptions about rigid identities and ethnic solidarity in Nigerian politics. Whether democratic institutions should be viewed as an independent influence on ethnic participation, or as a dependent one on social movements.
Data • Unit of analysis: Individual • Source of the data: Afrobarometer 3:The Quality of Democracy and Governance in 18 African Countries, 2005-2006 • Dependent variable: Support for Women’s Rights • Independent Variables: • Gender (M, F) • Age (19-73) • Education Level (None, Primary, Secondary, University) • Location (Urban, Rural) • Employment (Not Employed/Not Looking, Not Employed/Looking, Part Time, Full Time) • Religion (Christian, Traditional/African, Muslim, Other) • Ethnicity (Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Other)
Descriptive Statistics Dependent Variable: Support for Women’s Rights Unit: Individual LOM: Categorical 0: Support Women’s Rights 1: Support Traditional Law Mean: .3539059 Mode: 0 Observations: 2,317
Bivariate Analysis - Categ. dependent var. Share of population that supports women’s rights
Bivariate Analysis – Continued…Share of population that supports women’s rights
Probit Regression Analysis, Dependent Variable, Support for Women’s Rights= 0, Support for Traditional Law=1Marginal Effects
Conclusion • Equal rights for women means better access to education, health services, higher wages, and greater freedom. • Equal rights for women mean expanded economic possibilities per household. • Tolerant, progressive views on gender equality exist in educated, urban societies. So the government and NGOs must focus on the demographics that hold more traditional views on women to help them understand that the increased well-being of women is not simply a matter of gender, but a benefit for everyone in the community.