Abstract
This research presents the results of investigation into the role of women association in rural development a case study of Izza LGA in Ebonyi state. The population for the study consists of the men and women in Izza LGA Ebonyi state. A sample of 40 civil servant. Data were gathered using a self -constructed questionnaire. The validity and reliability of instrument were ascertained. The result of the study revealed that that women in Izza community are not given the chance to participate in the affairs of the community at all, this is because part of their culture is almost the same with the Igbo
Therefore it is recommended that there is urgent need to focus on developing strong institutional supports for gender mainstreaming. Nigeria has not made significant progress in domesticating relevant international agenda through local legislations. This challenge also applies to virtually all aspects of gender and women development issues including property inheritance, violence and other forms of abuse against women, universal education and gender equality.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Developing the rural areas has been at the core of national, regional and international governments and non-governmental interests the world over. Different countries have different approaches determined by some structural and cultural peculiarities. Most industrial and developed societies depend on the neoliberal approach in which rural development are attracted from the outside through the ‘trickle down’ processes brought about by increased production of capital in the rural areas Macgarvey 2003. Capital production, in this context, is attracted to the rural areas through tax concessions, development of critical infrastructures and other public spending activities. This market-based approach to rural development tends to focus more on the growth in the rural areas than real development (see Wolman and Spitzley 1996). Consequently, matters of human capital improvements, social justice and environmental concerns are hardly at the core of the neoliberal development agenda at the rural areas. Such development trajectory rarely promotes inclusivity and participation for the rural people (Piore 1995). Rural development approach that fails to incorporate the participation of the rural people remains exploitative. The question of participatory and inclusive development at the rural level is more important especially for developing countries with low human and infrastructural capital and high level of gender discrimination. In the literature, for instance, the rural economies in developing and underdeveloped countries are characterized by enormous informal activities dominated by the women. Women in the rural areas are involved in several productive activities yet their roles are never reflected in the mainstream public development agenda. A study by Gopinath and Kalra (1985) in India observed that women are typically involved in farming, domestic activities and other community-related engagements. For sub-Saharan Africa, several studies have reported that women form 60-90% of the agricultural labor, depending on the area, and that they produce about two-thirds of food crops (Pala 1976, Lamming 1983, Ogunlela and Mukhtar 2009). Women constitute the central pillar of rural development in developing countries yet they are not visible in the mainstream rural development policies and programs. According to Brandt (1995: 3), the many productive and development activities necessary for human well-being are made possible by women, yet they are not officially considered part of the conventional economy. Citing Waring (1999), O Toole and Macgarvey (2003: 175) noted that the conventional economy includes paid work, the activities of businesses and the making of profit, whereas women’s voluntary contributions towards the well-being of rural communities has not been considered part of the conventional economy. In the role of women in rural development is mostly located in the informal agricultural sector. However, most government at the center of policy and programs hardly place women at the center of policy and programs development agenda. Statistics vary, but the general impression is that women involvements in public rural development programs are at minimal level (Damisa and Yohanna 2007, Ogunlela and Mukhtar 2009). The importance of this study is to find out the level of participation of women in rural development by assessing some aspects of public rural development.
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