Effects of Gender Disparities and Political Representation of Women in Taraba State

Gender inequality remains a significant barrier to the full political participation of women in Nigeria, particularly in states like Taraba, where traditional norms and socio-cultural factors often hinder women empowerment and representation. To better understand the nexus, the study investigates effects of gender disparities and the political representation of women in Taraba State. A survey research design was used; the population of the study was 350. 250 respondents were selected and served with questionnaires which were all duly completed and retrieved, representing 100%. Data was presented in tables using frequency distributions, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations to illustrate the opinions of respondents. The findings of the study indicate that gender inequality was clearly the biggest barrier to women political participation. It concluded that Women political representation will stagnate if these structural problems are not addressed, which will threaten democratic governance and fair development. The study recommended among others that improving women political representation requires legislative changes. Women representation in decision-making bodies may be greatly increased by enacting mandated gender quotas, such as a 35% affirmative action objective for political appointments and party nominations.