Gender Discrimination and Women's Poverty Dynamics in Rural Nigeria: Evidence from Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State

Gender discrimination remains a significant obstacle to women's socio-economic advancement and continues to contribute to persistent poverty in many rural communities across developing countries. Despite numerous poverty alleviation interventions in Nigeria, poverty among women remains disproportionately high, particularly in areas where discriminatory cultural and institutional practices limit access to education, economic opportunities, and productive resources. This study examined the impact of gender discrimination on women's poverty incidence in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of low school enrolment, lack of access to skills acquisition programmes, and limited access to inheritance rights on women's poverty. The study was anchored on the Deprivation Theory of Poverty (Capability Approach) propounded by Amartya Sen, which views poverty as a deprivation of capabilities and freedoms necessary for human development. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 350 women selected through a multi-stage sampling technique and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square (χ²) analysis. The findings revealed that low school enrolment (χ² = 138.80; p < 0.05), lack of access to skills acquisition programmes (χ² = 125.34; p < 0.05), and limited access to inheritance rights (χ² = 148.88; p < 0.05) significantly contribute to women's poverty incidence. The study concludes that gender discrimination remains a major driver of women's poverty. It recommends strengthening girl-child education, expanding gender-responsive skills acquisition programmes, and enforcing women's inheritance rights.