Dr. Okogbo Awoloye Blessing is a Nigerian academic and researcher currently serving as a Senior Lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, where she has been working since 2016. She also serves as an adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Criminology at Mudiame University, Irrua, Edo State. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminology and Deviance, obtained in 2025, an M.Sc. in Sociology (2012), a B.Sc. (Hons) in Sociology (2006), and a Diploma in Social Work (2002), all from Ambrose Alli University. Her academic and research interests focus on gender studies, women’s empowerment, domestic and intimate partner violence, reproductive rights, abortion legislation, social development, and the sociological implications of emerging technologies.

Dr. Blessing has participated in numerous national and international conferences and presented research on issues including spousal violence and women’s empowerment, the health consequences of marital infidelity, artificial intelligence and labour market disruption, entrepreneurial adaptation among university students, reproductive rights, and women’s abortion decisions under restrictive legislation. Her research has been published in several local and international journals, covering topics such as socio-cultural practices affecting women, affirmative action and women’s empowerment, widow inheritance, domestic violence, children’s academic performance, rural women’s entrepreneurship, maternal education, childhood survival, and abortion laws in Nigeria. She has also co-authored a book chapter examining income inequality, poverty, and economic growth from a gender perspective.

In addition to her teaching and research activities, Dr. Blessing has contributed to academic administration and institutional service through various departmental and faculty committees. Her responsibilities have included serving as a departmental adviser, faculty representative, welfare committee chairperson, departmental ICT coordinator, conference planning committee member, and departmental examination officer. She is actively involved in professional and academic associations, including the National Association of Women Academics, the Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Association, the Nigerian Association of Social Work Educators, the International Sociological Association, the American Sociological Association, and the American Society of Criminology. Her professional achievements include letters of commendation and awards of recognition for her contributions to academic and student activities. Through her teaching, research, publications, and service, she continues to contribute to the fields of sociology, criminology, gender studies, and social development in Nigeria.

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA: PATHWAYS TO GENDER EQUITY AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL IMPACT

Abstract

Women’s economic empowerment has increasingly been recognized as a critical pathway to gender equity, social inclusion, and sustainable development. However, women’s economic vulnerability remains closely intertwined with gender-based violence (GBV) in Nigeria, particularly where limited access to income, productive assets, employment, financial resources, and household decision-making constrain women’s autonomy. This paper examines the relationship between women’s economic empowerment and gender-based violence in Nigeria, with particular attention to the pathways through which economic resources, agency, and decision-making capacity may influence women’s vulnerability to violence and their ability to respond to abusive relationships. The study adopts a secondary-data analytical approach, drawing on relevant Nigerian policy documents, empirical studies, national and international reports, and scholarly literature on women’s empowerment, economic abuse, intimate partner violence, and gender inequality. The analysis demonstrates that economic dependence can increase women’s vulnerability to different forms of intimate partner violence, while economic abuse itself can restrict women’s capacity to achieve financial independence. Evidence from Nigeria also suggests that education, employment, income control, access to financial resources, and participation in household decision-making are important dimensions of women’s empowerment. However, economic interventions alone may be insufficient where discriminatory gender norms, patriarchal structures, weak institutional responses, and social tolerance of violence persist. The paper therefore argues for an integrated approach combining economic empowerment with legal protection, gender-transformative interventions, education, social protection, access to justice, and community-based GBV prevention. Such an approach can strengthen women’s agency while contributing to gender equity and sustainable social impact in Nigeria.

Keywords: women’s economic empowerment, gender-based violence, gender equity, economic abuse, women’s agency, sustainable social impact, Nigeria.