Abstract
The phenomenon of women marginalization, domination and oppression is a global issue. Deep
prejudices against women are embedded in the socio-cultural, political and economic structure
of our societies. These societal structures have marginalized and excluded women from the
socio-economic life of their communities. This situation is no doubt part of the universal
patriarchal construct. Patriarchal institutions are defined as systems of socio-relations by which
the old dominate the young, men dominate women and those at the centre of male descent lines
dominate outsiders who may or are adopted into the lineage. The essence is to control the
circumstance under which women work, their earnings, their sexuality and the timing and
number if children they bear in Nigeria. Since the emergence of English women’s movement in
Western Europe in the 19th century, women participation in politics and their de-marginalization
at socio-economic front have become an important issue in both national and international
politics. The United Nations has been involved in the international of women’s struggle. The
equality of men and women has been long recognized since 1945 in the United Nations charter,
and subsequently again in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.