THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111 e-ISSN: 2736-075X
Volume 23, No. 1, June 2025
Pages 144-164
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/5202.32.0180
Women and Political Leadership: The Case of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
1 Babatunde M. Alao, 1 Aituaje I. Pogoson and 2 Dauda. A. Busari
¹ Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
² Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
Advocating for increasing women’s leadership is, on a larger scale, a way of ensuring gender equality and an attempt to arrive at balanced representation of women in formal and informal terrains of administration like their men counterparts. Political participation without gender discrimination is required for the development of a country and the global community at large. This study emphasizes how important women’s role in leadership is to the achievement of societal development and attaining Sustainable Development Goal 5, with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021, being the focus. There is increasing concern about an uneven women’s representation in political leadership positions. Women also suffer gender discrimination, physical and mental health problems, lack of or poor education, domestic violence and inhospitable work and family structures, caused by societal beliefs and cultures across different countries of the world. However, some women are still showing their vast interest in the leadership terrain. Despite all odds, they are still able to get into leadership roles and make great social impacts. This study takes a critical, logical and in-depth look at the leadership trend of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the local and international communities, drawing inferences from her track record. Data were sourced from secondary means (publications, conference reports, newspapers, journals, published books, etc.). The paper concluded that increasing women’s political leadership should be encouraged to achieve gender equality.
Keywords: Women’s, leadership, gender discrimination, political development