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The prevalence of women in the knowledge-based enterprise of traditional healing underscores the role of women in sustainable development. The World Health Organization (WHO) finds that about three quarters of the world's population depend upon traditional remedies for their health. However, ecosystems suffer and environmentally important animals become extinct due to the wide use of traditional medicine. This paper investigates the linkages between intellectual property rights (IPRs), gender inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Adopting a feminist legal methodology, the paper analyzes the challenges of securing IPRs for female traditional healers and how these impact on environmental sustainability. The paper finds that ownership of property rights (including IPRs) is central to exercising judgment over the sustainable use of the environment and that such ownership is lacking among female traditional healers. The paper proposes the active synergy of patent offices and traditional healers, following an example from China, as one of the remedies to devise new forms of IPRs that may better suit the needs of women who seek to protect their innovations in the field of traditional medicine. This paper links the ownership of IPRs to environmental sustainability and gender inclusiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Akoko is a Yoruba subgroup in south-western Nigeria, where people from different origins are found in clusters of autonomous communities. A common identity of Akoko is heterogeneity of its cultures. This heterogeneity is more profound in its social practices, such that there is fundamental departure from general Yoruba tradition. Drawing evidence from Akoko's social relations, this paper discusses peculiarity of social grading system in pre-colonial Isua Akoko (an Akoko community). Like many communities in this sub-group, the history of origin of Isua is shrouded in migrations and connections from different directions such as Edo and Yoruba. This diversity makes the history interesting to gender, particularly the cultural fluidity in its social grading system. The grading was crucial to Isua's identity. This paper argues that social grouping cannot be homogenised between the two sexes: while males were grouped through age, females were categorised with the parameters of marriage and procreation. However, these trajectories of female grouping created a vacuum of uncelebrated women: the infertile and childless that did not have progeny. Inculcating these women in social grouping makes this research germane. With focus on Isua, the paper advances existing scholarship by discussing intersections that knit gender and micro history. The paper is approached from historical perspective with the methodology of narration and critical analysis of data. Theory of African womanism is used to interpret gender narratives in the sources and analyse data. This study concludes that social grading in Isua reflects gendering unique to its history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In her groundbreaking text, Male Daughters, Female Husbands, Ifi Amadiume offers an ethnographic account which depicts, among others, gender in the making in Nnobi society in Nigeria. This paper, drawing from Amadiume's work, looks at three related specific moments of understanding gender and sex categories in a South African context. Through empirical research based on a qualitative study; a literary text; as well as visual arts, the paper tracks the notion of nongayindoda, a Nguni term for (gender) fluidity to offer new insights that go beyond Western gender binaries. Nongayindoda has been used to refer to masculine women or men-like women. In some contexts, it has been assumed to relate only to women who have chosen not to have relations with men. Some have considered the term derogatory and thus shied away from using it. In this paper, the term is turned upside and interrogated to reveal broader meanings. In the end, I argue that nongayindoda offers an opportunity to move beyond gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child marriage is a problem that has continued to attract global attention. The media have been identified as critical to the fight against the scourge as it discusses the capacity to raise awareness of the issue as well as trigger action in solving the problem. The report of the alleged abduction of a minor, Ese Oruru by one Yunusa Dahiru for marriage jolted the nation and sparked public outcry for her release. This study explored newspaper framing of the incident. Drawing from qualitative frame analysis, it examined how Punch and Daily Trust newspapers framed the alleged abduction saga. The study found that there was contrastive framing of the incident with Punch newspaper portraying the issue as abduction while Daily Trust newspaper depicted it as elopement. The influence of socio-cultural leanings of these papers on the contrastive framing is discussed. The implication of the divergent framing of the saga on the fight against child marriage is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the research output of female staff and the factors that affect their research productivity in the Nigerian university system. The study was carried out with a view to promoting strategies that will enhance productivity and increase the research output of female staff in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a survey research design. The purposive sampling method was used in administering questionnaires to 381 female academic staff from twelve randomly selected universities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. The study revealed that female research output was generally low: 59.5 per cent of female academics published one paper annually; 23.6 per cent published up to two papers; 1.1 per cent published three papers; and 15.8 per cent did not publish on an annual basis. Although most female academic staff published annually, most wished to increase their publication rate. The study's results found that marital status, religion, academic position and number of hours of lectures per week had an impact on their ability to carry out research and publish the results. The study concluded that female academics made contributions that are more significant to teaching than research and that the Nigerian university system needs to develop strategies to enhance female research output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerted efforts to transform gender cultures within Nigerian universities have introduced formal strategies aimed at reinforcing gender equity principles and practice. This is evidenced through the creation of gender centres and the adoption of gender equity policies in some Nigerian universities. However, existing literature reveals that despite these formal measures, gender imbalance in academic leadership is still prevalent. This paper seeks to investigate why gender equity policies in Nigerian universities have failed to gain traction, especially for advancing women to academic leadership positions. Using documentary data gathered from purposively selected universities in Nigeria, this paper unveils the various ways in which the content and enactment of institutional gender policies are gendered and potentially reinforce systems of inequality. Informed by a Feminist Institutionalism and Feminist Policy Analysis framework, I analyse gender policy documents and identify areas of silence, women's exclusion, and how male dominance is perpetuated in the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights are fundamental human rights. Previous studies on gender and sexuality in displacement settings have often focused on sexual and gender-based violence and the reproductive health problems of women while underplaying their needs for sexual expression, pleasure and procreation. This paper examines the influence of conflict and displacement on gender relations, sexuality and natality of internally displaced women in Nigeria. It draws on data from a larger study in which focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were used to explore 52 women's gendered experiences with Boko Haram insurgency and displacement. A critical thematic analysis of data revealed that the women's relationships with their men were complex and ambiguous, characterised by both tensions and solidarity. The women saw their men as partners in their struggle against multi-level oppression, including the structural barriers that undermine their mutual sexual expressions and pleasure, as well as their desire to procreate and repopulate their decimated ancestral communities. We recommend collaborative efforts to promote and protect the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of displaced women which includes building physical structures and living conditions that promote healthy, safe and pleasurable sexual expressions, and socio-political structures that create access to the long term social security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mainstream media and sociological research, the issues of police brutality and use of force have remained prevalent. However, in spite of the appreciable attention given to police brutality against male citizens in international headlines and scholarly research, female victims have been relatively ignored. The aim of this paper is to explore the experience of female offenders with the police from the point of arrest through custody. Using a mixed-method research design, participants were drawn from inmates of the Female Maximum and Medium Security Prison, Lagos. One hundred and eighty-six respondents completed questionnaires, while 27 interviews were conducted. Findings indicate that participants were subjected to a variety of physical, emotional, and sexual violence, including torture, sexual assault and intimidation, denials of essential needs, and unwarranted punishments. The pervasion of violence and abuse by police officers on female detainees is one of the consequences of the perennial deficiencies of Nigeria police to carry out intelligence-based investigation. The increase in well-trained female personnel, gender-sensitive treatment of suspects and offenders, capacity building on intelligence-based investigation, effective human right awareness, regulation and proper monitoring of officers, enhancement of professionalism, adequate funding, and provision of logistics and equipment are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender hierarchy and inequality are attributes of Western colonialism enforced in several colonised societies. Similarly, feminism (Western), as the antithesis of European sexism, has permeated colonised societies and has been assimilated without proper reflection. This is concretely evident among the Yorùbá people of south-western Nigeria. Before European colonisation, Yorùbá culture was gender-neutral and gender-silent; women were seen as complementary and not subordinate to men. Hence, according to Oyěwùmí's work on The Invention of Women, caution and reflections must be raised on the continual adoption of mainstream Western feminist philosophy in Yorùbá culture. In essence, the colonial imposition of the Western gender binary in Yorùbá society and women's anti-colonial and feminist activities are discussed. Furthermore, the paper challenges some feminist approaches and ideologies in Nigeria, while advocating for a communal, transformative, and Pan-African feminism in Yorùbá and African societies. The decolonisation of Africa and the Yorùbá education system are recommended, alongside a proper history of Indigenous Yoruba people and knowledges. Contemporary feminist campaigns (including digital feminisms) and movements must also develop a 'shared text of blackness'. The duo should align and improve the worth of women based on the indispensability and esteemed status offered to women in 'pre-colonial' Yorùbá society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a critical examination of the ideological underpinnings of cartoons in Nigeria's socio-political milieu. The study seeks to unveil cartoonists' strategic moves to (mis)represent Nigerian women. The data comprise 10 political cartoons which were selected using a purposive-sampling method in line with the thematic concern of the study. They were analysed using Kress and Van Leeuwen's social semiotic approach to the analysis of multimodal texts along with insights from critical discourse analysis (CDA). Findings reveal that semiotic resources, such as pronominal choices, speech acts, labelling, visual metaphorisation, information value, salience/emphasis, and framing, play significant roles in cartoonists' commentaries on gender-related issues in Nigeria's socio-political domain. Viewed against the United Nations' global goal of gender equality by 2030, the study concludes that Nigerian newspaper political cartoonists' representation of women ideologically both (re)produces or resists (un)equal gender relations among Nigerian citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' use of a variety of devices, for example desktops, laptops, tablets, and/or smartphones to conduct intelligent site searches, is advancing mobile commerce. Consumers' choice of devices to use depends largely on their perceptions of value. Given the importance of human, cultural and personal values, this study purposefully selected Nigerian tablet consumers to better understand the factors that impact on the adoption of mobile and tablet commerce in a developing economy. A paper survey was administered to the academic community in Nigeria with (n = 312) responses. To measure the hypothesized latent constructs through the indicators that represent each of the underlying constructs, the authors embarked on three steps: a confirmatory factor analysis, partial least squares-structural equation modelling and probing the tablet commerce structural relationship by running a bootstrapping. This study filled a vacuum in the existing studies in developing countries by taking into cognizance the prominent status of mobile devices, especially tablets. Further, this study integrates the theory of trust, privacy, reputation, ease of use, and loyalty with gender moderation. The study also gives future direction to tablet commerce practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate students in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) towards alternative sexual relationships (ASRs). In most parts of Africa, ASRs are largely frowned against, as most countries on the continent have illegalised the practice. While literature abounds generally on the acceptance or otherwise of ASRs, studies x-raying this subject matter from the perspective of an enthusiastic and explorative youth population among undergraduate students in Nigeria are scanty. The paper adopts descriptive research design and mixed (quantitative and qualitative) method. Structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistical tools of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings show that majority of undergraduate students in OAU (70.4%) hold negative perception of ASRs; and 55.2% of the students hold negative attitude towards ASRs. On gender basis, while more male students (56%) show negative attitude towards ASRs, a lower percentage (54.37%) of female students shows negative attitude towards the practice. The paper also finds that background characteristics (age, gender, religion and level of study) of students do not influence their perceptions and attitudes towards ASRs. The paper concludes that OAU students condemn and do not condone ASRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is an important tuber crop of West Africa and the Caribbean, and one of the key limiting factors in its production is the availability of good quality planting material. The Adaptive Yam Minisett Technique (AYMT) was designed to help overcome this constraint. The paper presents an analysis of agronomic and economic data collected across four years (2013 to 2016) of AYMT plots planted in two areas within the middle-belt of Nigeria. Of the 136 plots that were established, 11% were lost to flooding and damage from Fulani cattle. Mean yield was 13.16 t/ha, 17,747 tubers/ha and the mean tuber weight was 0.73 kg. Plot yield declined with an increase in planting time, while plots owned by female farmers were on average planted later than those owned by their male counterparts; this helps explain the effect of gender noted in a previous study. Differences in yield were also noted between the two areas, which could also partly be explained by differences in planting time. The plots were profitable, with a mean cost over the four years of Naira 915,196/ha, revenue of Naira 3,197,786/ha and gross margin of Naira 2,282,591/ha (equivalent to US$4,039, US$14,319 and US$10,280 respectively). The main factor influencing costs and revenue was year, with no effect of gender. There is a need for more research on planting time in AYMT and how it interacts with factors, such as yam variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social obstacles including colonisation, cultural inhibitions, and religious restrictions impact female participation in sports. In Nigeria, particularly, where urbanisation and women participation in football has increased, interest in studying women's football amid social obstacles continues to be important. Some of these obstacles included a British colonists’ edict prohibiting female football in the country. The edict stunted the growth of female football in the country. Today, religious prohibitions, along with several other obstacles, such as cultural inhibitions, in the northern part of the country, create additional fault lines in the game's development. Indeed, several of the obstacles are rife in women's football in Nigeria and deserving of academic investigation such as reported in this paper. The paper uses a critical discourse analysis of archived newspaper media to expose the struggle and resistance of female football from the mid-twentieth century to date. The analysis makes the female game's urban existence essential in understanding its development, resistance to obstacles, growth and advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gender discrimination is still very high in Africa, including in the church. Often the arguments for gender disparity do not have objective grounds. However, those who advocate gender parity are often as subjective and sentimental as those who oppose it. There is a need for more objective arguments, based on empirical observations of the roles and performances of women in various endeavors, in advocating gender parity. In recent years, many Christian denominations have established Christian universities in Nigeria with the stated aim of providing Christian higher education. How have these universities affected the status of women in Nigeria? What trends in gender relationships may be observed from the work of these universities? This paper researches the impact of two of the Christian universities in southwestern Nigeria on the faith of their male and female students, and finds that the self-worth of women has been positively impacted along with the apparently positive influence of the universities on the faith of their male and female students. The paper recommends more deliberate efforts on the part of Christian universities in southwestern Nigeria to both pursue Christian higher education and to enhance gender parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the determinant of youth participation in agricultural training programs using the case of Fadama program. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 977 respondents comprising of 455 participants and 522 non-participants. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that high asset index reduces youths' likelihood of participation. Also, participation in the program was negatively but significantly influenced by gender and household size but positively by age, years of education, perception of agribusiness, agribusiness ownership and youth's intentions to start farming. The result of the descriptive showed that majority of the respondents (56%) indicated lack of access to finance as their major barrier to participating in agribusiness and in agribusiness training. Other barriers include lack of mentorship and information. The study therefore recommends the need for strategies to facilitate youth access to credit, mentorship and timely information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social norms surrounding women's and men's mobility in public spaces often differ. Here we discuss how gendered mobilities and immobilities influence women's and men's capacities to innovate in agriculture. We analyze four case studies from Western Kenya and Southwestern Nigeria that draw on 28 focus group discussions and 32 individual interviews with a total of 225 rural and peri-urban women, men and youth. Findings show that women in both sites are less mobile than men due to norms that delimit the spaces where they can go, the purpose, length of time and time of day of their travels. Overall, Kenyan women and Nigerian men have better access to agricultural services and farmer groups than their gendered counterparts. In Southwestern Nigeria this is linked to masculine roles of heading and providing for the household and in Western Kenya to the construction of women as the 'developers' of their households. Access and group participation may reflect norms and expectations to fulfill gender roles rather than an individual's agency. This may (re)produce mobility pressures on time constrained gendered subjects. Frameworks to analyze factors that support women's and men's agency should be used to understand how gendered mobilities and immobilities are embedded in community contexts and affect engagement in agricultural innovation. This can inform the design of interventions to consider the ways in which norms and agency intersect and influence women's and men's mobilities, hence capacity to innovate in agriculture, thus supporting more gender transformative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scourge of poverty has spread over Nigeria. Efforts to address the problem have yielded no tangible results. This study investigated a gendered approach to determinants of adoption of cassava-legume intensification technology and its impact on households' poverty status in innovation platforms. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 160 respondents. The adoption index, the Tobit regression model, FGT analysis, and the ordered probit regression model were used to analyze the data. The adoption intensity of cassava-legume intensification technology was relatively low (28.06%), with that of female gender households 3.20% higher than that of their male counterparts. The Tobit regression model revealed that the intensity of adoption of cassava-legume technology was positively and significantly influenced by the years of education, household size, credit accessibility and household gender participation, among other factors. In addition, the ordered probit regression model revealed that revenue generated from cassava-legume, adoption intensity of the technology, extension visits, and gender of the household head were significant factors positively affecting household poverty while household size negatively affected household poverty. This indicates that cassava-legume intensification technology can assist individuals in escaping poverty. Gender sensitivity should, however, be considered when adopting new technologies, and an enabling atmosphere should be developed to enable women to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basketry is worthy of archaeologists’ attention for its own sake and because variations in techniques and typology complement those evident in pottery, stone tools and other domains of material culture. In this paper I first focus on the basketry of the Mandara Mountains of Nigeria and Cameroon where both men and women make and use baskets but employ different techniques of manufacture. This class of material culture correlates with gender and ethnicity very differently than in other artefact classes. A survey of other studies of African basketry suggests that in any region at any one time gender and basketry technique are highly correlated, although there is variability both across space and through time. There is also variation in the extent to which African basketry is charged with symbolism. The examination of these techniques, raw materials, tools, workspace, uses and related objects reveals the complexity of ‘the world according to basketry’. It is a world to which recent approaches to material culture and technology can profitably be applied and into which archaeologists have more access than they perhaps suppose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On Friday morning, 29 January 2001, Bariya Ibrahima Mugazu was given 100 lashes. Zamfara state of Nigeria tried and punished this young woman for having had sex unlawfully in the previous year. Until this case between Zamfara state of Nigeria and unmarried Bariya Mugazu, controversies surrounding the full adoption of Islamic law (Shari'ah) in northern Nigeria seemed to have remained only a local issue. Section 10 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria bars any of its federating units from adopting a 'state religion'. These states are, however, at liberty to adopt any suitable legal regime. So in 1999, when 12 states in the north of the federation opted for theocracy by adopting Shari'ah as state law, the predominantly Muslim public of the region claimed to be acting within the confines of the municipal law in embracing religiously based regimes. As such, the relationship between this religious and legal order and Nigeria's human-rights-friendly constitution remains controversial. Fornication or adultery may well not constitute an offence deserving criminal prosecution in the non-Muslim secular world. As shall be made apparent in this study, however, individuals' sex lives are highly regulated within the world of Islam. Since Islamic regimes strongly condemn fornication and adultery, this paper is concerned with reviewing Zamfara v. Bariya in order to establish whether the case succeeded in reflecting an Islamic concept of justice. If so, to what extent was the administration of justice by Shari'ah court(s) of law in Zamfara consistent with the ideals and teaching of Islam? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Girls' enrolment in primary schools has achieved significant increase and parity with male enrolment in many countries in Africa since the 1960s. Some of these countries include Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania. However, in most Sub-Saharan African countries, female enrolment still lags behind male enrolment. This paper examines some of the reasons for the persistent gender gap between females and males in the three African countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Togo within the West Africa sub-region. It discusses gender relations, cultural practices such as early marriage, child slavery, and child fostering/trafficking, poverty and multiple household duties for girls as some of the contributing factors. It is argued that unless these cultural beliefs and attitudes are changed and mandatory measures such as holding parents accountable and responsible are put in place, gender parity and quality education for all, especially for females, will not be achieved in Africa. A number of additional strategies for improvement in school attendance and retention for females are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women-led civil society activism contributed to the adoption of the WPS Agenda and the Security Council's recognition of these organisations as key WPS actors. However, civil society organisations (CSOs) are often allocated tokenistic roles during the national implementation of WPS resolutions. Drawing on Sabatier and Jenkin-Smith's Advocacy Coalition Framework, this study analyses 35 semi-structured interviews and surveys with CSOs and state WPS actors in Nigeria to explore the opportunities provided and the methods used by the Nigerian government to engage civil society in processes to implement UNSCR 2242 as political measures. The article highlights that UNSCR 2242 can be used by CSOs to advocate for political participation within processes to implement CT/CVE measures. However, the implementation of the Resolution exposes these actors to greater risks in the domestic context. Further, operationalising WPS as a policy provides insights into how CSOs utilise their interaction within political sub-systems to influence policy processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-family border theory casts individuals as protagonists who are enactive rather than reactive in shaping borders between work and personal life domains. To what extent is this the case in strongly patriarchal contexts that constrain women's personal agency? This qualitative study conducted with 32 female lawyers, magistrates and justices in Nigeria shows how participants engage in new border management tactics in response to context-specific institutional and social factors. Faced with public harassment and physical assault in a country where violence against women is normalised, female legal professionals restructure family borders to extend no further than their homes and retain police attachés as border-keepers. When their families are reconfigured via nonconsensual polygamous marriages, women's work borders are strengthened by co-wives performing domestic labour and family borders are strengthened by co-wives' assistance with job tasks, thereby reducing participants' work-family conflict. Rather than strategically enacting work-life borders within known situational constraints, Nigerian female legal professionals react to involuntary events that limit their agency to negotiate desired work and personal lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) has become increasingly popular for collecting data on sensitive topics among populations with lower levels of literacy. However, the development of an ACASI tool is an involved process that can be further complicated when working in humanitarian contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study describes the development of an ACASI tool to be used in a family-focused intervention evaluation. Participants included adolescent girls aged 10-14, adolescent boys aged 15-19, and caregivers in Borno State, Nigeria. Data to inform the tool's development were collected using cognitive interviews, ACASI demonstrations, and post-demonstration assessments with adolescent girls, adolescent boys, and caregivers, as well as a focus group discussion with enumerators. Data found high levels of acceptance for the tool and helped identify appropriate visual representations for various answer options to maximize usability. The survey was found to be too long to administer solely through ACASI; the final tool employs a combination of ACASI and computer-assisted personal interview formats. Findings highlight the importance of repeatedly piloting and testing these types of tools to ensure content and language resonate with intended users. However, the steps employed demonstrate that researchers can maintain a commitment to developing high-quality, community-grounded research tools despite challenges germane to humanitarian settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early twentieth century, several hundred women in colonial Abeokuta initiated divorce proceedings against their husbands, who were also frequently their masters. The legal records associated with their cases offer important clues about how women – both freeborn and slave – contested the terms of their marriages using the colonial courts. This article examines how and why these women used new interpretations of marriage, which were introduced by European Christian missionaries and the British colonial administrators in order to challenge established traditions. It reveals how colonial native courts approached indigenous norms surrounding marriage and slavery: colonial interventions gave freeborn women a measure of agency within marriage which was also somewhat unexpectedly extended to slave wives. Through an exploration of court judgements, this article demonstrates the effects of colonial intervention on marriage and slavery and the role of the colonial courts in local matrimonial disputes and practices and investigates how they empowered enslaved wives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National education policies in Nigeria aim at addressing female disprivilege by improving girl-child enrolment in schools in line with Millennium Development Goal targets. In addition, the National Gender Policy and its Strategic Implementation Framework stress the importance of mainstreaming gender perspectives within the education sector by ensuring adult women and girls gain access to education. This article draws on empirical qualitative data from interviews with educated Nigerian women, religious leaders and principal actors in women's rights groups to demonstrate that merely increasing female access to education is an incomplete development strategy for reducing gender inequality. This is owing to the strong influence of pervasive cultural and religious gender bias. The article employs a redemptive-movement hermeneutic within a Christian faith ethic to argue for a critical interrogation of sexist interpretations of biblical texts. It concludes with culturally sensitive and practical action steps within the education sector to promote a gender-friendly learning environment and more equitable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article theorises findings from a research project investigating gender equity in Commonwealth higher education. The study interrogated enablers and impediments to gender equity in South Africa, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Tanzania. The focus of inquiry was access, curriculum transformation and staff development. This article examines one aspect of the project, that is, how the principles of gender mainstreaming have been applied to curriculum transformation. This will be explored in the context of the implementation gap between macro international and national policies for gender equality and meso and micro level change. Policies for gender equality in general, and gender mainstreaming in particular, have been developed internationally, and variously interpreted at national and organisational levels. The comparative nature of the project should help to broaden debates on equity in the globalised knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews women's quest to access land, property, and housing by inheritance and succession from their deceased father's or husband's estate and judicial responses thereto. It submits that tradition or custom-based gender differentiations are discriminatory against women on grounds of sex and are, as such unconstitutional. The problem has been the absence of a legal and policy framework empowering women and granting them explicit right to land in their capacity as citizens with full legal capacity as envisaged by both the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW: 1979); and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol, 2003). The article also analyses the high illiteracy level that has made most women ignorant of the existing legislations and courts judgments which have recognised their rights to inheritance of real properties in Nigeria. The article finds that Nigeria through judicial activism is currently empowering women to access and inherit land, though more efforts are still needed to total liberate and enforce the rights of women to customarily inherit property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how entrepreneurial human capital affects the resource mobilization process in new ventures, specifically the likelihood of using informal ties (i.e. family and friends) in their hiring process. Building on human capital arguments, we theorize that the higher the entrepreneur's formal educational attainment, the greater the likelihood that they will go against the norm of hiring through informal ties. Given the centrality of gender in the relationship between entrepreneurship and family embeddedness, we evaluate the moderating role of gender on the relationship between formal education and the hiring process. Empirical findings from logistic regression analyses of 1,114 new ventures in Nigeria provide broad support for the theoretical framework. These findings contribute to our understanding of individual-level forces that influence the persistence of, or decreased reliance on, informal institutions in entrepreneurial activity in Sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study empirically analyzed the spatial distribution of Internet usage in Nigeria and identified its key determinants using data on the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory from 2016 to 2018. In contrast to previous studies, the approach is disaggregated and spatial to better reflect state level disparities in Internet usage and its associated determinants. The data were obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics, United Nations Development Programme Report and other official sources, and were analyzed using stepwise linear regression and Global Moran's I. The study showed evidence of disparities in Internet usage among the various regions in Nigeria, with noticeable clusters of high values for Internet usage in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, Kano and Abuja. In contrast, Ekiti, Ebonyi and Bayelsa states had low concentrations of Internet users. Across the nation, between the north and south and its urban and rural areas, Internet usage followed various clear economic and social contours. Market size, employment, income, access to electricity, urbanization, gender (female), age (60 years and above) and telephone density were significant factors in Internet usage. The results of this study can provide basis for regional specific policies in order to increase Internet penetration in disadvantaged locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms have created new opportunities for political engagement. This has brought about a rich body of literature on the relationship between the two. However, the impact of social media on redressing or augmenting gender inequality in engagement remains underexplored. This cross-national comparative study investigates the role of social media news use in influencing gender inequality in online political engagement across three Sub-Saharan African nations: Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. An analysis of survey data suggests that there exists a gender divide in online political engagement in the three countries. Furthermore, the informational use of social media increases the likelihood of online political engagement. Still, social media news use exacerbates gender-driven engagement inequality. Finally, education reinforces the role of social media in engagement inequality such that the gender divide in online political engagement is found to be most significant among the higher than lower educated groups. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is not just a material entity in African contexts. Cultivation, production, preparation, distribution and consumption of food are laden with value, embedded with and significant in social–cultural relations. Hence, the nature and contexts of food determine and demonstrate important gender essence, realities and structures of societies. Unfortunately, food elements and trajectories are often taken for granted and not sufficiently studied even though they determine outcomes of actions in gender spaces. This article therefore engaged the interfaces/intersectionalities of gender and food in two African contexts. Because of importance and dynamism of food in understanding humans and societal identities particularly gender, contemporary Fast Food in Africa was adopted as a case study in this article. Intersectionalities in this article are the complex and often taken for granted grounds of gender and fast food subjectivities and constructivities over time. This article is within broader frameworks of food and gender against the background of deep-rooted cultural norms, traditions, values and ethos in African societies. This article is conceptual, theoretical and analytical with transnational focus leveraging on the Nigerian and South African scenarios with relevant epistemologies, findings and conclusions. This article contributes new knowledge to the scarce scholarship on the intersectionalities of food in gender discourses in African societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 320 farming households in Kogi State, central Nigeria were interviewed in order to estimate their income poverty status, efficiency levels, and influence of efficiency levels on poverty. The 1.90USD/day global poverty line was used to classify respondents into poor and non-poor. Relative poverty analysis was conducted to segregate farm households into moderately poor and extremely poor using the Mean Per Capita House Hold Expenditure (MPCHHE) approach. Stochastic Frontier techniques were applied to estimate efficiency levels while logistic regression was applied to investigate influence of efficiency on income poverty. Findings show that 80% of farmers were male; average age was 51 years and average holding was 1.53 ha. Furthermore, 84.1% were poor based on the global poverty line. Based on MPCHHE, 13.75% and 48.12% were moderately and extremely poor respectively. Technical and allocative efficiencies averaged 0.52 and 0.38 respectively, indicating high level of non-optimization of resources. Logistic regression result shows that poverty will likely reduce by 28% point for any 10% point increase in economic efficiency. Other poverty drivers include farmland size, education, access to credit and gender. Improved funding and training for improved extension services to help farmers increase their outputs, minimize wastages and improve incomes are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although intimate partnerships where both partners inject drugs have emerged as the focus of research and interventions, the gender dynamics characterising risk behaviours in injecting partnerships have largely been neglected. This study explored qualitative interview accounts focusing on the ways gender dynamics that reflect power differences between male and female injecting partners influenced risk perception and management. It drew upon a qualitative study of risk negotiation practices of injecting partners (n = 16) in Uyo, Nigeria. Analysis highlighted three key themes: 'caring and drug-using partnerships'; 'risk reduction and production', and 'male dominance and gendered violence'. Although the intimate partnerships of PWID provided emotional and social support in a high-risk environment, factors operating within these partnerships, including affection, trust, and gendered violence, undermined agency and risk-reducing behaviours, creating conditions that increased vulnerability to HIV particularly for women. The findings support calls to move beyond individual risk factors and privilege a relationship orientation in HIV prevention work. In particular, the analysis highlights a need for intervention models that build and maintain trust among drug-using partners, while improving communication skills, preventing violence and promoting HIV prevention through the adoption of risk-reducing measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence against women is a crime that has continued unabated at a very high rate in Nigeria. There are very minimal records of reportage of such offences, particularly in developing parts of the world where such incidents may be subtly encouraged by the culture and societal norms prevalent in the society in question. The increasing scourge of domestic violence against women in Nigeria continues at an astronomical scale, posing serious physical, mental, psychological and reproductive health challenges to women and girls in Nigeria, despite a plethora of legal and regulatory mechanisms proscribing all forms of violence in Nigeria. This article critically examines the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, and its prospects in combating the scourge of domestic violence against women in Nigeria. This essay recommends that necessary institutional measures be put in place for the strict enforcement of the provisions of this law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the perceptions of inclusive education in Lagos, Nigeria, based upon in-depth interviews conducted with students with visual impairments during the month of July 2013. The results and discussions are situated within critical disability theory. Despite decades of inclusive education policies, the findings of the study show that Nigerian students with disabilities continue to face a lack of instructional support and discriminatory attitudes. Often, students with disabilities are compelled to rely on their peers rather than teachers for instructional support, potentially reinforcing their subordinate status in these schools. The findings suggest that inclusive education programming in Nigeria must attend to the school environments and extend to communities where these children live. The article makes recommendations for policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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This study investigated digital divide in the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in counsellor education in Nigerian universities. It had two research questions and two hypotheses tested at .05 level of significance. It adopted a survey design and used ICT Utilization Questionnaire (IUQ) in gathering data from the entire population of 142 counsellor-educators and trainee-counsellors in the five universities in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria who offered Guidance and Counselling as a course of study at the Master's degree level in the 2007/2008 session. This instrument was validated by five experts, and its reliability was established to be 0.9. A direct delivery technique was adopted for data collection. Data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Findings show that there is no digital divide based on gender but there is digital divide based on status of the population as counsellor educator or trainee-counsellors. Recommendations were made to different stakeholders on bridging this gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group health talks were conducted in Ekiadolor, Southern Nigeria, to improve male attitudes and practices regarding their involvement in prenatal care and family planning. Intervention planners highlight the importance of embedding local cultural norms along with co-opting gendered beliefs for purposes of planning and implementing the group talks. The authors facilitated 9 groups of adult males mostly from the traditional hierarchy of the community. Using gender theory as an analytical lens along with the application of local cultural beliefs and norms, a useful communication intervention was developed that increased the possibility of positive male engagement in maternal health in 1 Nigerian community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: To study the epidemiology of ocular trauma among the elderly in a developing country. Method: This is a multi-center retrospective clinical study of patients aged 65 years and above managed for ocular trauma between 2001 and 2007 at 4 hospitals in southwestern Nigeria. Age, sex, occupation, residential address, location at time of injury, activity preceding injury, agent of injury, treatment modalities offered and presenting visual acuity were recorded in a predesigned form. Type of injury was classified according to Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology. Data were recorded and analyzed with descriptive statistics and Chi square using SPSS 11 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) and statistical significance accepted at P < 0.05. Results: 78 patients with overall mean age of 70.1 ± 5.5 years and male to female ratio of 1.9: 1 ( P = 0.007) were studied. Mean age for males was 70.0 ± 5.4 years and 70.1 ± 5.7 years for females. Eye injury occurred most commonly on the farm (37.2%), during farm related activities (35.9%) with sticks/twigs (41.1%) being commonest agent of ocular trauma among the elderly. However, injury occurred most frequently at home (51.9%) and during a fight/dispute (25.9%) with inciting agents being most frequently (33.3%) home related in elderly females. Eye injury was mainly of closed globe variety (85.9%); open globe injury was associated with higher incidence of hospitalization ( P < 0.0001) and visual impairment ( P = 0.004) at presentation. Conclusion: Although eye injury in elderly occurred more commonly on the farm during farm related activities, gender related differences are present with injury occurring more commonly in the home and during assaults/disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate that Type A behavior pattern, characterized by a chronic struggle to achieve several goals and its resultant effect in triggering coronary heart disease is continuously ongoing. Contributing to this debate, this study examined the incidence of this behavior pattern among male and female postgraduate students. Two hundred eight postgraduate students (males 104, females=104) in the age range 25-50 (mean=20.18) years were randomly selected from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Employing Type A Behavior Pattern Scale (TABS) it was observed that females obtained higher mean scores on Type A behavior and associated variables than the males (Females=54.98; Males=51.98 (TABS total score); hard driving (F=16.99, M=15.50); time urgency (F=20.32, M=19.05), and job pressure (F=17.76, M=16.56). A test for statistical significance with t-independent statistics revealed that scores of Type A Behavior Scale Total (TABT=2.36) as well as a sub-scale of Type A (hard driving=2.14) were significant at df, 207; p < 0.05, critical t=1.96. Implications of the result were discussed in line with obvious tilted gendered sphere, and the desire of the female gender for equity and psychological satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the extent of agreement between male and female farmers' usage of mass media. Data collected from 250 farmers in Benue, Nigeria using a structured questionnaire showed that 79.6% could read and write and revealed a disparity in the use of television, mobile phones, the Internet, and newspapers. The Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences in the use of television (.013), the Internet (.044), and newspapers (.082), indicating non-alignment positions. Alignment in the nonuse of production guides and journals/magazines (dmr = 0) and near alignment for radio (dmr = 1) was observed. We recommend that stakeholders in the agricultural delivery system make use of mass media that are gender-relevant in disseminating farm messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although women in urban households in Nigeria are primarily responsible for sourcing and managing domestic water supplies, their responses to problems with obtaining water have to be negotiated within the context of gender power relations, roles and responsibilities, both within and outside the household. This article, focusing on women in poor communities in Lagos and Benin City, Nigeria, shows that there is some relationship between women's desire to organise for water improvements, and membership in voluntary associations. However, women are generally unable to influence decision-making in the sector through voluntary associations, and are excluded from actual participation in the business of water supply and the associated economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on the links between polygamy and HIV and AIDS is limited and the findings inconclusive. Literature to date in Sub-Saharan Africa has relied mainly on case-control studies and surveys. This qualitative study aimed to explore different community members' perceptions of the links between the practice of polygamy and vulnerability or resilience to HIV and AIDS in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria. The study used focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with religious and community leaders and different groups of women and men in the community. Participant views on the links between polygamy and HIV were varied. However, one clear emerging theme was that it is not the practice of polygamy per se that shapes vulnerability to HIV and AIDS but the dynamics of sexual relations and practices both within and beyond the marital union - whether monogamous or polygamous. The ways in which these social relationships are negotiated and experienced are in turn shaped by religious traditions, gender roles and relations, education and socio-economic status. Within the religious environment of north-eastern Nigeria, where asymmetrical gender roles and relations and connotations of morality shape experiences of sexual interactions, windows of opportunity to promote behaviour-change strategies to support women and men's resilience to HIV need to be carefully created. Health practitioners and planners should develop partnerships with religious and community leaders and women's groups to construct and deliver behaviour-changes strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study identifies risk factors for mortality in a cohort of HIV-positive adult patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Jos, Nigeria. We analyzed clinical data from a cohort of 1552 patients enrolled in a HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome treatment program and started on HAART between December 2004 and 30 April 2006. Death was our study endpoint. Patients were followed in the study until death, being lost to follow-up, or the end of data collection, 1 December 2006. Baseline patient characteristics were compared using Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test for continuous variables and Pearson Chi-Square test for categorical variables to determine if certain demographic factors were associated with more rapid progression to death. The Cox proportional hazard multivariate model analysis was used to find risk factors. As of 1 December 2006, a total of 104 cases progressed to death. In addition to the expected association of CD4 count less than 50 at initiation of therapy and active tuberculosis with mortality, the patient characteristics independently associated with a more rapid progression to death after initiation of HAART were male gender, age less than 30 years old, and unemployment or unknown occupation status. Future research is needed to identify the confounding variables that may be amenable to targeted interventions aimed at ameliorating these health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based violence, though deeply entrenched in some cultures and religions, has remained a neglected area in health research in South-east Nigeria. This study assessed the prevalence, pattern and background factors precipitating domestic violence in a population of prenatal clinic attendees. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Booked antenatal women were recruited into the study after informed consent. Trained research assistants administered the questionnaires in the local dialects of the women. Analysis was by the Epi Info Statistical Software package version 3.2.2 of 2005. A total of 500 women were involved in the study that spanned 3 months. Of these, 68 were exposed to gender-based violence. Verbal abuse/insult was the commonest form of male engendered violence. Others were sexual abuse, financial deprivation, threats and physical harm. Financial and domestic issues were the major sources of disagreements. Some 17.6% sustained physical injury, while all admitted to some degree of psychological trauma. Routine assessment in a non-judgemental way of antenatal population for gender-based violence is advocated. This will determine the true prevalence and pattern of domestic violence, and form a rational basis for the formulation of interventional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ancient Greece, Rome and Nigeria, the secondary status of women appears as a matter of fact. The stereotypical woman in these societies is frail, fragile, vulnerable, untrustworthy, stupid or underdeveloped, or someone who must be aided, assisted and provided for - unfit for political power. However, this article demonstrates that women in these societies did not passively adopt a subordinate role, and examines methods employed by women to reject domination. It concludes that Nigerian women today still have lessons to learn from the women of ancient Rome and pre-colonial Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of perceived acceptance of people living with HIV in Nigeria. The results reveal that gender and public self-consciousness jointly and significantly influenced an individual's perception of acceptance. Also, males with a high level of private self-consciousness scored higher on a scale measuring perceived acceptance than females with a high level of private self-consciousness. In addition, private self-consciousness and perceived stigmatisation jointly and significantly influenced an individual's perception of acceptance. The findings emphasise that the society is far from having an accepting attitude towards individuals living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]