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1.1INTRODUCTION

In all African societies, Women have been looked upon as lower creatures. Our tradition favour men against Women. Women are not seen as individuals who have their ownmind. For many years, Women have assumed one imposed role after another- slave, sexobject for relaxation at will, bearer of children, cook and servant of the family.In Nigeria, Women were supposed to pursue their feminine roles of child-bearing andhome making. Even after Nigeria attained independence it did not change the negativeperception of Women. Women were not considered capable of handling any administrativepost. They should stay at home while their men think for them.The struggle for the empowerment of Women did not start in recent times. It has for the past centuries been in existence. Although neo-colonialists and those who believe in thewhite man’s superiority have attributed the origin of Women liberation movement to the USAclaiming that the movement was gingered by the American Civil Rights Movement which wasemulated by other countries particularly the third world countries, It is however pertinent tonote that the move for the empowerment of Women had its foothold and impulse in theprimary societies taking into cognizance the relentless efforts of Deborah who directed a war against the Canaanites the enemies of God. And the Israelites and came out victoriously.For the majority of women, continuing obstacles have hindered their ability to achieveeconomic autonomy and to ensure sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their dependants. Women are active in a variety of economic areas, which they often combine,ranging from wage labour and subsistence farming and fishing, to the informal sector.However, legal and customary barriers to ownership of or means of access to land, naturalresources, capital, credit, technology and other means of production, as well as wagedifferentials, contribute to impeding the economic progress of women.

1.2ORGANISATION OF THE PAPER

This paper work is divided into four sections. The first section is the Introduction. Thisis followed by the second section which is the definition of women empowerment. The Thirdsection talks about the problems and obstacle that inhibits the empowerment of Women. Thelast section deals with the conclusion and recommendation on how the factors that inhibitsWomen empowerment would be eliminated.

2.1DEFINITION AND MEANING OF EMPOWERMENT

As a general definition, however, we suggest that empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a processthat fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives,their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important.We suggest that three components of our definition are basic to any understanding of empowerment. Empowerment is multi-dimensional, social, and a process. It is multi-dimensional in that it occurs within sociological, psychological, economic, and other dimensions. Empowerment also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, andcommunity.Empowerment, by definition, is a social process, since it occurs in relationship toothers. Empowerment is a process that is similar to a path or journey, one that develops aswe work through it. Other aspects of empowerment may vary according to the specificcontext and people involved, but these remain constant. In addition, one importantimplication of this definition of empowerment is that the individual and community arefundamentally connected.

2.2UNDERSTANDING GENDER EQUALITY & WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Gender equality implies a society in which Women and men enjoy the sameopportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between menand Women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power andinfluence; have equal opportunities for financial independence through work or throughsetting up businesses; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity to developpersonal ambitions. A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of Women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving Womenmore autonomy to manage their own lives. Women's empowerment is vital to sustainabledevelopment and the realization of human rights for all.Despite manyinternational agreementsaffirming their human rights, Women are still much more likely than men to be poor, malnourished and illiterate. They usually have lessaccess than men to medical care, property ownership, credit, training and employment. Theyare far less likely than men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic violence.The ability of Women to control their own fertility is absolutely fundamental toWomen’s empowerment and equality. When a woman canplan her family, she can plan therest of her life. When she is healthy, she can be more productive. And when her reproductiverights—including the right to plan her family in terms of birth timing and spacing, and to makedecisions regarding reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence—are promotedand protected, she has freedom to participate more fully and equally in society.Where Women’s status is low, family size tends to be large, which makes it more difficult for families to thrive.Population and developmentand reproductive health programmes aremore effective when they address the educational opportunities, status and empowerment of Women. When Women are empowered, whole families benefit, and these benefits often