Gender inequality and poverty in Akoka South West communities of Ondo State, Nigeria

Poverty eradication has been a persistent global challenge throughout history. While approaches to addressing poverty have evolved, the fundamental issue remains unresolved. Studies have shown that there is a high prevalence of poverty among women, and the fundamental cause of this is gender inequality (SDG 5). Akoko Southwest Local Government Area communities are not exempted from this menace. This study looked at the nexus between gender inequality and poverty in Akoko Southwest Local Government Area communities, Ondo State. It also investigated the dimensions of poverty and areas of gender inequality among the sampled populations. The primary source of data made from self- administered copies of questionnaires was used to collect data from 200 respondents in five communities of the local government area. Of these, 175 questionnaires were valid and analysed. The sample population comprises both male and female adults. In addition, the Alkire-Foster methodology was utilised to analyse the dynamics of multidimensional poverty in the study area. We constructed the poverty index using the 2018 Nigerian Multidimensional Poverty indicators developed by UNDP Nigeria and NBS. We employed descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Household was used as the unit of analysis. The results showed high levels of gender inequality in all dimensions. On the multidimensionality of poverty, female-headed households experienced the incidence (88%) and intensity (60%) of poverty while their male counterparts experienced the incidence (54%) and intensity (42%) of poverty. The outcome also showed that female-headed households were more deprived in terms of education, health, living conditions, unemployment, and asset ownership. The binary logistic regression analysis showed there is a positive relationship between the female-headed household and poverty in the study area with a p-value less than 0.1, which suggests that there is a higher prevalence of poverty in female-headed households than in male-headed households. Overall, the findings revealed that gender, age, and education of household heads significantly contribute to the poverty status of the households. The study concludes that poverty in Akoko-Southwest LGA communities is both a symptom and cause of gender inequality as females are more impoverished due to deprivation in areas such as education, nutrition, living standards, and employment.