Joseph, Rudigi Rukema.Oyadiran, Kehinde Olamipo.2025-11-152025-11-1520252025https://hdl.handle.net/10413/24086Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected women’s livelihoods in different parts of Nigeria and has hit pre-existing gender inequalities and weaknesses. This research sought to assess the economic barriers that Nigerian women have faced after the pandemic, pre-existing socio- economic factors that rendered them severely affected, and how the women are coping from the disaster and examples of resilience. The study also makes recommendations to help policymakers and other stakeholders enhance women’s livelihood after COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted a qualitative method, interviewing 60 economically active women in the South-West of Nigeria using semi-structured interview guides’ 30 on the formal and 30 from the informal sector. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis as guided by an integrated feminist theoretical framework that leveraged feminist political ecology, feminist intersectionality, and social role theory. The study has shown a significant disparity in the effect of the pandemic on women’s means of livelihood between the formal and informal sectors. Whereas the formal sector units such as industries led to layoffs and pay deductions, women were cushioned by various labour laws and unemployment benefits to some extent. In contrast, the informal sector, which encompasses activities like trading and small businesses, took a big hit from the governments’ closures and national boundaries' influence on supply chains. Besides, the report has also brought up the weaknesses in government facilitation such as accessibility, transparency, and reach of the programs like COVID-19 Cash Transfer Project and Survival Fund programs, which have been mainly inaccessible by the most underprivileged women. Nevertheless, Nigerian women were resilient in the face of these adversities, as evidenced by their use of social capital and community support networks, such as informal credit schemes and savings groups. Their efforts were still inadequate, however, because empowerment is constrained by a number of structural factors. Few women have legal rights to their husband’s property or access to a bank credit, and those who do are burdened with increased responsibility for house management. Based on its findings, the study concludes that women’s livelihoods in both the formal and informal economies must be prioritized, and recast. Actions to be taken are enhanced labour protections and social safety nets, increased informal sector, women’s taxpayers’ assistance and access to aid and resources, arbitraging and formalizing community-based strategies of empowerment, amending legal regimes and evolving capacity-building efforts to resolve structural barriers, as well as acknowledging and addressing the significantly increased care burdens. Iqoqa. Ubhubhane lwe-COVID-19 uthinte kabi indlela yokuziphilisa yabesifazane ezingxenyeni ezihlukene zaseNigeria futhi usuhlasele ukungalingani nobuthakathaka obukhona ngaphambili. Lolu cwaningo belufuna ukuhlola izithiyo zezomnotho abesifazane baseNigeria abaye babhekana nazo ngemuva kwalolu bhubhane, izinto ebezivele zikhona ngaphambili kwezenhlalo-mnotho ezibenze bathinteka kakhulu, nokuthi abesifazane babhekana kanjani nenhlekelele nezibonelo zokuqina. Lolu cwaningo luphinde lwenze izincomo zokusiza abenzi bezinqubomgomo kanye nabanye ababambiqhaza ukuthi bathuthukise indlela yokuphila yabesifazane ngemuva kobhubhane lwe-COVID-19. Ucwaningo lwamukele indlela yekhwalithi, luxoxisana nabesifazane abangu-60 abakhuthele kwezomnotho eNingizimu-Ntshonalanga yeNigeria besebenzisa iziqondiso zenhlolokhono ezingahlelekile kwabanga-30 emkhakheni ohlelekile kanye nama-30 emkhakheni ongakahlelekile. Ukuhlaziywa kwedatha kwenziwa kusetshenziswa ukuhlaziywa kwengqikithi njengoba kuqondiswa uhlaka oluhlanganisiwe lwenjulalwazi yabesifazane olwasebenzisa imvelo yepolitiki yabesifazane, ukuhlangana kwabesifazane, kanye nenjulalwazi yendima yezenhlalo. Ucwaningo lukhombise umehluko omkhulu emtheleleni walolu bhubhane ezindleleni zokuziphilisa zabesifazane phakathi kwemikhakha ehlelekile nengakahleleki. Nakuba amayunithi emboni ehlelekile njengezimboni aholele ekudilizweni nasekubanjweni kweholo, abesifazane bebencishwe imithetho eyahlukene yezabasebenzi kanye nezinzuzo zokungasebenzi ngokwezinga elithile. Ngokuphambene nalokho, umkhakha ongakahleleki, ohlanganisa imisebenzi efana nokuhweba namabhizinisi amancane, wathinteka kakhulu ekuvalweni kohulumeni kanye nomthelela wemingcele kazwelonke kumaketanga okuhlinzeka. Ngaphandle kwalokho, lo mbiko uveze nobuthakathaka bokusiza kukahulumeni njengokufinyeleleka, ukubeka obala, kanye nokufinyelela kwezinhlelo ezifana ne-COVID-19 nePhrojekthi Yokudluliswa Kwemali kanye nezinhlelo zeSikhwama Sokusinda, ebezingafinyeleleki kakhulu ngabesifazane abampofu kakhulu. Noma kunjalo, abesifazane baseNigeria babeqinile lapho bebhekene nalezi zinkathazo, njengoba kufakazelwa ukusebenzisa kwabo imali yezenhlalakahle kanye namanethiwekhi okusekela umphakathi, njengezikimu zezikweletu ezingakahleleki kanye namaqembu okonga. Imizamo yabo ibingakaneli, nokho, ngoba ukunika amandla kuvinjwa izinto eziningi zesakhiwo. Bambalwa abesifazane abanamalungelo angokomthetho empahleni yabayeni babo noma ukuthola isikweletu sasebhange, futhi labo abanayo bathwele kanzima ngomthwalo wemfanelo owengeziwe wokuphatha izindlu. Ngokusekelwe ekutholeni kwalo, ucwaningo luphetha ngokuthi izindlela zokuziphilisa zabesifazane emnothweni osemthethweni nongekho emthethweni kumele zibekwe eqhulwini, futhi ziphindwe. Izinyathelo okufanele zithathwe ukuvikela okuthuthukisiwe kwezabasebenzi kanye namanethi okuphepha komphakathi, ukwanda kwemboni engakahleleki, usizo lwabakhokhi bentela besifazane kanye nokufinyelela osizweni nezinsiza, ukulamula kanye nokwenza ngokusemthethweni amasu okunika amandla asekelwe emphakathini, ukuchibiyela imithetho yezomthetho kanye nokuthuthukisa imizamo yokuthuthukisa amakhono ukuxazulula izithiyo zesakhiwo, kanye nokwazisa kanye nokubhekana nokwanda kokunakekelwa kokunakekelwa.enCC0 1.0 Universalhttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Women--Post Covid-19--Nigeria.Women--Livelihoods--Nigeria.Gender--Nigeria.Thesis