Global integration, household survival and economic empowerment of women in Osun State, Nigeria
R. I. AKO-NAI, A. O. OLOGUNDE, and O. G. ADEKOLA
Abstract
The global integration of the world economies, popularly referred to as globalization has favoured many countries of the North. In contrast, the majority of countries in the South are economically marginalized. They continue to lag behind in many areas and are left in dire poverty. Both the internal and national strategies for alleviating poverty have failed the under trodden and the developing countries. The ´human-centered´ strategies advocated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Sustainable Human Development (SHD) has not benefited the poor and the disadvantaged of the South of which women constitute the majority. The data for this article was derived from primary sources namely, personal interviews, questionnaire responses; and were complemented by secondary data extracted from relevant books and journals. The study showed that 77 percent of the women surveyed, have joined one form of informal trading network or the other for the purpose of survival; the remaining 23 percent are involved in multiple modes of livelihood, that is, they are engaged in more than one informal economic activities to supplement their income from formal government employment. The study revealed that women who took to multiple modes of livelihood strategy did so because of the failure of male-dominated households and their vulnerability to the insecurity of government employment. The study showed women´s economic earnings have indeed increased because of their involvement in informal economic trading activities. Using Osun State in Southwestern Nigeria as our region of focus, this study will show how involvement in informal trading activities has resulted in the empowerment of women. It will examine how these women have recorded relative measure of success by competently combining household responsibilities with the challenges of social employment.
R.I. AKO-NAI
Department of International Relations
Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University
Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
A. M. OLADOYIN Department of Public Administration
Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University
Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria - Email: busayocolt@yahoo.com O. G. ADEKOLA Department of International Relations
Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University
Ile-Ife. Osun State, Nigeria - Email: ogadekola@yahoo.co.uk All correspondence on this paper should be directed to
R. I. Ako-Nai riakonai@yahoo.com
