ABSTRACT
The findings of this study provide us with some evidence to reach specific conclusions. That woman does contribute to the economic development of their families and the society, but there are still some hindrances militating against their full participation in development processes.
In the course of this research, it was revealed that there is a strong relationship between level of educational attainments, women active participation in politics, the existence of women oriented programmes and women’s contribution to development.
It can also be concluded that women constitute more than half of Nigeria’s population, and represent an important force in the dynamics of development. A developmental process that does not carry the womenfolk along is therefore unwholesome. For as Thomas Sankara (cited in Mohammed, 1998) said decision makers must concern themselves with women’s issues” “To device development planning without the participation of women is like using four fingers when you have ten. By being proactive, government and the society can identify employment and income generation, opportunities to assist women to gain equal access to essential information and resources (credit, land, agriculture input etc) Also a strong commitment to women’s basic needs for education, health care, housing and food security combined with a high rate of investment, efficient use of capital and means of effectively participating in decision – making at all levels can go a long way to provide a foundation for economic, social and political development and this provides an overall development of the society.
The importance of women and their contribution to the economic development of the society has been recognized. As Snyder and Tadesse puts it “The most serious problems of development defy solution without the active participation of women. Whether one holds a pragmatic or a humanistic view of development, the participation of women is necessary and their involvement will hasten the development of the whole society.
