CONSTRAINT TO WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (CSDP) IN AKWA IBOM STATE

This study examined the factors affecting women's participation inCommunity and Social Development Projects (CSDPs) in Akwa Ibom State,Nigeria. Despite the recognized importance of women's involvement,participation remains suboptimal. A multi-stage sampling procedure wasused to select 150 women beneficiaries from three Local Government Areas(LGAs). Data were collected through structured questionnaires andanalyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including factoranalysis. Results show that 26.7% of women had low participation, 56.7%had moderate participation, and only 16.6% had high participation in CSDPactivities. The principal factors affecting participation were family supportand financial barriers (18.2%), health and educational barriers (15.7%),safety and project relevance concerns (13.8%), and time and maritalconstraints (12.4%), which together accounted for a total variance of 88.3%in women's participation in CSDP. The study concludes that enhancingfamily and community support, and offering flexible participation optionscan significantly increase women's participation in CSDPs, therebyfostering more effective and sustainable community development in AkwaIbom State.