Feminist Critique of Policy: Nigeria's National Youth Policy

FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF A POLICY: NIGERIA'S NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY
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Gender and Policy Development
The United Nations Economic Council report (2007) indicated that gender had become a critical issue in the governance of both local governments and international communities' political, social, and economic aspects. Previously, traditional society had ignored the question of gender equality, balance, and inclusion. However, recent studies have undisputedly proven that the two aspects are a solution to a range of global governance and developmental issues, such as eradicating poverty, financial stability, and sustainable economic development (True, 2016). Gender is a socially constructed term that refers to the political, cultural, social, and economic characteristics and opportunities linked to being male or female (Keating et al., 2010). Gender equality is attained when men and women of all ages, races, religions, and sexual orientations have equal opportunities, rights, and conditions that aid them in contributing to the development of a society or a nation.
In policy development, gender equality is significant, especially in developing countries (Mohammed, 2015). For a long time, men have been regarded as the superior gender tasked with making decisions. Hence, most rules, principles, laws, and policies implemented in countries and organizations have always favored them. The generalization of these policies and regulations to men and women has resulted in many social, political, and economic issues, with women being the most affected. The rise of feminism saw the avocation of the rights of women and girls and their inclusion in important societal and national policy development and implementation processes. This study evaluates Nigeria's National Youth Policy from a feminist perspective. The paper is divided into various sections. It begins by giving a brief overview of the policy and its participatory process.
The second section will discuss the definition and scope of gender as reflected in the policy. This will be followed by data gaps in the policy, the concept of equality and equity in the policy, and if the policy has implemented the aspect of intersectionality, among other aspects.
Policy Overview
Nigeria's National Youth Policy is a pledge emphasizing the support of its youth’s development. It is a step toward putting the participation and efforts of the youth in the country's growth. The policy aims at mainstreaming the concerns of the youth into national development efforts. Its vision is to provide Nigeria's youth, regardless of background, with a safe environment and equal opportunities to fully realize their aspirations and dreams, contributing to the nation's development. The first National Youth Policy in Nigeria was implemented in 1981. It was then reviewed in 1989 during the drafting of a Social Development Policy. In the subsequent years, the youth policy has undergone several changes due to the shifts in the nation's social-political environment and the economy. These modifications rendered some policies ineffective and discriminatory.
The 2019 policy is an update of the 2009 policy, which had to accommodate new and emerging realities affecting young people in Nigeria, as...