Thesis On Women Empowerment

CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The concept of women empowerment seems to have been used in the 1980s by third world feminists ‘to address the issue of gender differences that exist in the control and distribution of resources’ (Datta & Kornberg, 2002). There is however lack of consensus on its major characteristics. According to Datta and Kornberg (2002), women empowerment refers to ‘strategies that women use to increase their control of resources and generate decision making capacity’. Other authors like Batliwala (1994) however have a wider definition. According to this author, empowerment is the ‘process of challenging existing power relations and of gaining greater control over the sources of power’ (Batliwala, 1994).
The conclusion

Research on gender pay gap by UNDP (2009) observes that between 1985 and 2008, inequality in Nigeria worsened from 0.43 to 0.49, placing the country among those with the highest inequality levels in the world. The poverty problem in the country is partly a feature of high inequality which manifests in highly unequal income distribution and differential access to basic infrastructure, education, training and job opportunities. Gender inequality in education is extreme. Girls are less likely to access school, to remain in school or to achieve in education. Despite almost 30 years of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and 20 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), today girls make up around 56 per cent of the 77 million children not in school, and women make up two thirds of the adults who are illiterate. Even girls who do enroll in school may have irregular attendance due to other demands on them, and the fact that their education may not be prioritized. Girls are more likely to repeat years, to drop out early and to fail key subjects, and in most countries girls are less likely to complete the transition to secondary schooling. Inequality in society inevitably has an impact on the provision and content of education. Hence, the need to examine and address the

The state or plight of women would be analyzed through the help of three films, ‘Dry’, ‘B for Boy’, and ‘Wives on Strike’. An analysis of these movies would be done to reflect on the plight of women in the Nigerian society.
Due to lack of time and insufficient funds this research would be limited in its research methodology. An experiment to test the outcome of this survey would have been ideal, but the researcher was limited by funds and time. This research would utilize education of women as the bedrock to women empowerment. The researcher would not delve into economic empowerment of the woman, but restrict this work to empowering a woman in such a way that she would be able to make certain decisions that affect her life and that of her family.
1.7 RESEARCH