Gender and urbanization in Nigeria

The world is advancing to realizing the potential in urbanization that requires equal opportunities for all participants. Nigeria is one of the developing countries bearing a population of up to 195 million people. The larger part of the entire population comprises of women. However, urbanization means different fortunes for each gender. The woman occupies a lower position comparing to the male counterpart (Barnes, Tiffany, Beaulieu, 2015). Private patriarchy rides on the principles of labor division and specialization (Barnes, Tiffany, Beaulieu, 2015). The concepts place women as underdogs in economic activities leaving them at the dependence of the men. Rural areas and suburbs are also likely to propagate public patriarchy where the woman figure gains independence from both parents and men. This is characteristic of the increased number of women-headed families and women occupancy at various employment positions.

The agencies and authorities in charge of formulating policies to govern employment, social public facilities utilization are likely to perpetuate public patriarchy where there are limited opportunities for women to take up paid employment opportunities. With increased rural-urban migration, the prospects, forecast o better life, and progress receive a blow with increased unemployment rates. Urbanization presents an opportunity for women to begin adopting paying job. Increased opportunities for women lead to increased income at domestic level eventually influencing the revenues levels. Over time, women are becoming contributors to household’s demands, societal development and at national levels. This manifests with the increased number of women-headed families. Most complications arise with the climatic, living and exposure conditions. Communicable and non- communicable diseases remain a bother for developing nations to address. Among the most prominent health concerns for women include child-related complications, sex-related challenges, and negligence.

Women comprise the highest numbers of STDs and HIV/AIDS patients (UNAIDS, 2010). Such factors attribute to the position of women in the society that forces them to depend on men for intimate relationships and economic development. Women in urban centers contend with varying degrees of hardships to make it through the city lives. Limited opportunities for women to pursue academic developments leaves them exposed to unending tribulations and hazards Equitable gender opportunities The authority and agencies in charge of governance and control need to adopt creative and sustainable designs towards the realization of the abolition of women confinement process that places women at a disadvantage. The challenges facing women originate from various causes ranging from institutional, societal, and environmental aspects. The authorities in charge should seek to develop strategies that will help eliminate the bias and attitudes toward women in the society.

The change in perception and equitable distribution of opportunities and resource s across both genders requires setting up gender-sensitive institutions that will focus on striking a balance on the prevailing social norms that consistently place women on the lower ranks (Apenda, 2007). This places them at the exposure of contamination and diseases. Providing safe and clean water to household limits the time used for searching and fetching water allowing women to focus on other developmental businesses. Moreover, the exposure to diseases by consuming contaminated water requires high investments in healthcare. Reduced healthcare budgets allow for investments in other fields making the lives of residents more fulfilling. Conclusion With urban development taking place around the world, authorities need to devise strategies that will enable and promote women contribution to the process of urbanization.

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