The report also attributed the decline in women's representation in the National Assembly to the growing political violence against women in Nigeria.
Nigeria ranks 16th worst country out of 177 nations of the world in terms of the status of women, according to the 2023 Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index report.
The WPS Index report, which was launched Monday in New York, captures 13 indicators including education, employment, laws and organised violence, classified under three dimensions: inclusion, justice and security.
According to the report reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, all the bottom 20 countries, including Nigeria, have experienced armed conflicts between 2021 and 2022, noting that 2022 is the deadliest year on record for conflict-related deaths since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and Iceland lead the 2023 rankings as the top five countries to live as a woman, while Afghanistan, Yemen, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan are the worst five countries on the index.
The index was published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).
Nigeria scores high on political violence
In the 2023 index, Nigeria ranked 162 out of 177 countries in terms of women's inclusion, justice, and security a decline from the 2021/22 edition where Nigeria ranked 130 of 170 countries.
Meanwhile, the new Index introduced a new Political Violence Targeting Women (PVTW) indicator within the security dimension, showing that Nigeria is among the five countries with the most PVTW events in 2022.
Other countries are Mexico, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar.
The report shows that Nigeria had the third-highest number of PVTW events (194), most of them perpetrated by anonymous armed groups and identity militias, such as the Zamfara and Katsina communal militias, who were allegedly responsible for more than 25 per cent of the PVTW events in the country.
It added that apart from identity militias, nine per cent of PVTW events in Nigeria are perpetrated by rebel groups, such as Boko Haram, seeking to overthrow the national government.
In Nigeria, women's representation in the National Assembly fell by 19 per cent in 2023, attributed largely to growing political violence against women in the country that inhibited women's candidacy.
The report also attributed the decline in women's representation in the National Assembly in 2023 to growing political violence against women in Nigeria.
Maternal mortality
The WPS index classified maternal mortality as another important metric of justice for women capturing both the quality of healthcare systems and their degree of gender discrimination.
Overall, the index noted that the countries under the fragile states group have the highest average maternal mortality ratio, at 539.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa, at 506.9.
The five countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios--South Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Guinea-Bissau--are all classified as fragile states.
According to the report, the factors contributing to the high maternal mortality ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa include child marriage and limited access to contraception and reproductive health education. It said these factors drive up adolescent fertility rates of 100 births per 1,000 girls.
It noted that young girls are more vulnerable to pregnancy-related complications and have less agency over healthcare decisions, compounding their risk of maternal mortality.
"Conflict and fragility often magnify risks of maternal mortality by increasing women's exposure to violence, provoking forced displacement, and amplifying disease transmission, all of which impair women's healthcare access," it added.
Women's financial inclusion, employment
Globally, the report acknowledged that women's financial inclusion is on the rise, expanding from 56 per cent in 2014 to 71 per cent as of the most recent data for 2021.
It noted that 50 countries have seen increases of at least 10 percentage points in financial inclusion over the same period led by Lesotho and Moldova, adding that in Afghanistan and South Sudan, fewer than 5 per cent of women have access to their bank accounts.
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The index showed that Nigeria scored 35 per cent in terms of women's financial inclusion and 58.9 per cent in employment, noting that overall, the rates of women's financial inclusion exceed 95 per cent in 30 countries but plunge to 10 per cent or lower in eight countries.
"Financial inclusion is critical to women's empowerment and agency, as women without their bank accounts are constrained in making decisions about their livelihoods, accessing critical resources, and leaving abusive relationships," it noted.
In terms of the security dimension, the index considers risks to women's safety at the household, community, and societal levels.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of the GIWPS, Melanne Verveer noted that the investments in advancing gender equality are also investments in peace, security and prosperity.
Ms Verveer said: "Women around the world increasingly find themselves on the frontlines of deadly conflicts. At the same time, there is a rise in authoritarianism targeted at pushing back women's progress.
"The WPS Index reminds us that there is a direct correlation between the well-being of women and the well-being of nations."
