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Abstract
Men and women participate in collective action for different purposes in northern
Nigeria. Field work conducted in six villages show that while men engage in community
activities such as road repairs, maintenance of schools and hospitals, refuse collection and
maintenance of the traditional village government, women mobilize around activities
such as savings, house and farm work and care giving. It is argued that men mobilize
around community activities outside the home because of their public orientation and
because they want to maintain their dominance of that space. Women, in contrast,
mobilize around activities in keeping with their domestic orientation and traditional roles
such as care giving and housework. Religion also influences the extent of women’s
participation in collective action. Because men have command of community institutions,
they are better able to access the resources embedded in these institutions, but women are
able to negotiate within established social structures for better conditions. Given the
socio-cultural characteristics of communities in northern Nigeria, an effective strategy for
collective action is collaboration between men’s and women’s groups rather than
separatism or integration.