By Isma’il Auwal
In collaboration with Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Germany, Aminu Ali of theDepartment of Sociology, Bayero University, Kano presented a paper on the invisibility of young females in the arena of discourses on political exclusion in Nigerian society may not be unconnected with status of women and their subordination in every sphere of public life.
He started by saying, “Young women are conspicuously invisible in the discursive arena of youth political exclusion despite being double victims. From media to academia, to civil society, among other discursive spaces, female-youth political exclusion has not received satisfactory attention. The discourse on youth exclusion in politics is gendered and youth political participation is measured by the visibility of male youth. In other words, the double exclusion of female-youth has not been satisfactorily engaged in the discursive space of youth political exclusion. In so doing, it accounts for the factors that explain this invisibility and what could be done to build civic culture among young females and by extension enhance their visibility in public life.
Gender has remained a fundamental basis for exclusion in Nigeria’s malestream politics. Women, particularly young ones, have continued to face political exclusion and different forms of repression and subordination in politics and public life. The reasons for this are many and varied, ranging from supposed apathy and disinterest in the voting process, to lack of opportunities for systematic inclusion in decision-making processes.” There have been efforts by governments and multilateral agencies to promote females’ participation in politics through policies, affirmative action and advocacies. Plus, demand for increased political inclusion has been at the center stage of women’s struggles since the Universal Suffrage Movement in the 19th century.
In spite of all efforts to engender political inclusiveness through activism and policy interventions, females’ participation in politics is, to a large extent, insignificant.
Female-youth are not conscious of their identity as double victims of political exclusion, not to talk of mobilizing or asserting it. But identity consciousness is a necessary condition for political action. To participate in the discursive arena as a distinct social category, young females must first recognize their shared political interest and victimhood of political exclusion. Therefore, since female-youth are not conscious of theirs, they do not mobilize on its basis to protect and advance their political interest.
He ecommended some strategies to raise young women’s participation in the discursive space, politics and public life such as:
Countering stereotypes and prejudice against females and building their confidence to participate in political discourses through leadership training and political education programme.
Dialogues, symposia and political education class on female-youth participation in politics should be organized to, among other things, identify passionate young females, who should be mentored by veteran women activists and those in active politics.
Capacity building trainings on communication skills and organization building and networking need to be regularly organized for young females. Structures for step-down training should be created, so that as many young females as possible would benefit from the skills and knowledge necessary for active participation in the discursive arena.
Leveraging the different social media platforms to mobilize and conscientize young females, build their capacity for collective action and building alliance and networks is very imperative
Slow progress in fostering women’s participation in political decision-making undermines the aspiration of young females. Therefore, increased number of women in political positions will inspire young females to take part in politics. They will serve as a source of inspiration and role models to young ones who are passionate about taking part in politics.
Promoting access to education among girls will go a long way in broadening their gender role and enhancing their participation in public life. Education is a potent tool with which young females could be empowered to question hegemonic masculinity or deploy agency in different life spheres, including politics, to raise their visibility and profile. Promoting girl-child education is a viable strategy of helping young women to break socio-cultural barriers that hinder their participation in public life.
Youth and women’s organizations and political parties should create female-youth wing, assign more roles to young women and in so doing raise their visibility in their organizational and party structures. This will go a long way in attracting them into politics and political activism. Therefore, women-based and youth-based civil society organizations as well as their wings in political parties should play a leading role in mobilizing and recruiting young women.
