Abstract
Nwankwor explores the processes through which women in Nigeria gained suffrage and how women’s political participation shaped the trajectory and outcome of politics in contemporary Nigeria. She argues that women have always participated in politics but gains from political participation have historically predominantly devolved to men. Women gained suffrage more than three decades after men, despite comparable levels of engagement before and during colonial domination. The chapter positions women’s enfranchisement within a historical framework marked by colonialism, and its conditioning effect on the course of politics in Nigeria. It also demonstrates the capacity of claims making and contestation to effect changes in regimes and governance, which shapes inclusion/exclusion. Nigerian women have maintained the history of claims making and challenging their marginalization with increasing success. Women now constitute the majority of voters in Nigeria.
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Nwankwor, C. (2019). Nigeria: Women’s Suffrage, Change, and Continuities in Political Participation. In: Franceschet, S., Krook, M.L., Tan, N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Women’s Political Rights. Gender and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59074-9_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59074-9_18
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