Topic:
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Jade Tarango
UN Women
Women’s Economic Empowerment
Jade Tarango
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Forest Hills Eastern
“Over 2.7 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men,” according to UN Women. This apparent and concerning gender gap constructs a barrier preventing women from reaching the same economic status as men in many countries. Women are often subjected to household work “leaving little time left to pursue economic opportunities. Without the same economic and career opportunities, nations are unable to further the journey towards gender equality. This issue is present particularly in North Africa, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa as women are much more likely to be in a position of vulnerable employment, as stated by UN Women. One main obstacle in preventing the growth of women’s economic empowerment is the disproportionate responsibility women hold to care for children, often serving as the sole or main caretaker of children. UN Women reports that women spend over 2 to 10 times the amount of time per day as men in order to care for children, the elderly, etc. The Federal Republic of Nigeria hopes to work towards a solution that provides careers and economic opportunities to women.
It is estimated that “Nigeria’s GDP could grow by 23%—or 229 billion—by 2025 if women participated in the economy to the same extent as men,” as reported by the Council on Foreign Relations. Despite this, the undeniable growth of the Nigerian economy is still prevented by legislation restricting women’s rights and opportunities. To combat this, the National Council of Women’s Societies was founded in 1959 in order to improve womens’ standard of living as well as increase the political power of women in Nigeria. One of their achievements include the implementation of educational campaigns for Nigerian women. Additionally, the UN adopted the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 to guide actions on how to improve women’s empowerment. Ultimately, the Federal Republic of Nigeria would benefit great from steps to increase empowerment, as it would greatly benefit the economy and work to reduce gender discrimination.
One step to further the involvement of women in the economy is increased education for young girls. Often stopping their education prematurely, many women never get the chance to pursue and explore the careers and opportunities that a steady education provides. Additionally, increased pay would significantly help improve women’s involvement in politics, the economy, and more, as well as work to reduce the gender pay gap. Ultimately, the Federal Republic of Nigeria would look favorably upon a resolution that implements these ideas in order to increase women’s economic empowerment, which in turn will improve economic posterity as well as preserve women’s rights.
