Political Orientation and Economic Empowerment as Strategies for Women’s Participation in Community Leadership in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

This study examines political orientation and economic empowerment as strategies for women participation in community leadership in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study was guided by five objectives and five research questions. The study adopted the descriptive survey design with a population of 2340 women from different Community Based Women Organizations in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State. The sample size consisted of 1170 women from different community based women organizations in Obio/Akpor local government area in Rivers State representing 50% of the population. This was determined using proportionate sampling technique. An instrument was constructed and designated as ‘Political Orientation and Economic Empowerment Strategies for Women Participation in Community Leadership Questionnaire’ with reliability co-efficient of 0.84. Mean scores and standard deviation were used in answering the research questions. The findings revealed that political re-orientation and economic empowerment significantly promote their participation in community leadership in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area to a high extent. From the findings, it was therefore recommended that Government should assist women to achieve economic viability through acquisition of literacy and other necessary skills and Government and NGOs should embark on sensitization programs that teach the essence of freedom in relation to development.