Socio-Demographic Determinants of Poverty in Nigeria and its Gender Differentials

Abstract

Poverty reduction is one of the greatest challenges facing international community and it is an invaluable requirement for sustainable development. This study was conducted to empirically examine the influence of socioeconomic as well as demographic variables on households' vulnerability to social exclusion or deprivation with more emphasis on gender inequality. The study employed binary probit regression analysis of poverty as well as Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition to examine factors responsible for inequality with respect to socio-economic fortunes among Nigerian households. Evidence from the study revealed that socio-demographic variables as well as labor characteristics are strong determinants of poverty in the country, and the findings confirmed to the theoretical propositions on causes of poverty. However, empirical results from the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition show that female headed households are more disadvantaged in terms of socioeconomic deprivation than the male headed households. The study concluded by presenting concluding remarks and policy implications for policymakers toward poverty reduction in Nigeria.

Energy, Communication, Health, Irrigation and Security Infrastructure and its impact on Household Poverty in Pakistan: A Case Study of District Rajanpur, Punjab

“…The conclusion of this study showed that an increase in the dependency rate in the household increased the occurrence of poverty. Buba, Abdu, Adamu, and Jibir (2018) determined the socio-economic and demographic factors of poverty in Nigeria. The outcomes of this research showed that the age of household's head, education, Members in the family, household income, level of employment and women as household head were reducing poverty.…”

Broken home, sexual harassment, and educational outcome: Evidence from higher institutions in Nigeria

“…higher the proportion of graduates from broken homes the greater the likelihood of having manpower shortfalls that will be employed in various critical sectors of the economy which in turn will lead to the non-realization of developmental goals of northern Nigeria in particular and the country in general (Buba et al, 2018;Ferguson et al, 2007;Jibir et al, 2022). Hence, if the problem of a broken home is left unabated it has the potential of leading to unbalanced growth and development in Nigeria.…”

“…This is crucial because the region has the lowest school enrolment and is lagging in terms of literacy rate in contrast with the southern region of the country (UNICEF, 2017) and it constitutes one of the perceived factors discriminating against girl child education. The findings from the study may have significant implications on labor market participation as business enterprises' productivity is a function of skilled and semi-skilled labor (Jibir, Abdu, & Buba, 2022) increase labor income is believed to be among the factors that are capable of reducing the alarming rate of chronic poverty and inequality in disadvantage areas like the northern region (Buba, Abdu, Adamu, & Jibir, 2018;Ferguson, Bovaird, & Mueller, 2007;Mihai, Ţiţan, & Manea, 2015;Suryadarma & Suryahadi, 2010) and can pave way for brighter living standard and overall economic stability.…”

Exploring the geographical variations and influencing factors of poverty in Nigeria

“…In the context of Nigeria, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, studies examining the local predictors of poverty based on nationally representative data are sparse. In other words, existing studies that have examined the concept of poverty and its determinants in Nigeria did so by analyzing the pattern of poverty and modeling global relationships, which fails to consider how the geographic attributes of each state/region drives poverty differently across the country, thereby leading to ineffective policies to tackle the problem (Aderounmu et al, 2021; Akpan & Isihak, 2020; Apata et al, 2010; Buba et al, 2018; Deinne & Ajayi, 2019; Obayelu & Awoyemi, 2018; Ogwumike & Akinnibosun, 2013; Olowa, 2012; Omotoso et al, 2021; Sowunmi et al, 2012; Sulaimon, 2020). To bridge this gap in the literature, we identify the local predictors of poverty across the states in Nigeria in order to come up with targeted policy interventions.…”