Title:   GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND ITS EFFECTS ON YOUNG WOMEN IN NIGERIA: A HUMAN RIGHTS ANALYSIS

Abstract
The recent report by the International Labour Organization shows that the youth labour force (aged 15–24) has significantly declined. At the same time, the participation of young women in the labour market has remained lower than that of young men in sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, in Nigeria, 31% are unemployed, compared to 26% of young men yet, Nigeria is a party to international treaties that guarantee equal rights to employment. Also in Section 17 (3) of the Constitution, the Nigerian government undertakes to direct its policies to ensure equal opportunity for employment. However, several factors—statutory, social, and cultural—have impeded the realization of equal rights to employment in Nigeria. While these issues are collectively important, this paper focuses on the statutory factors that create gender discrimination in youth employment in Nigeria. It argues that the non-enforceability of Section 17(3) of the Constitution and the non-domestication of the 1979 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have substantially contributed to this gender disparity. As such, there is a strong need to assess the possibility of recalling lawmakers who oppose the domestication of CEDAW in Nigeria. As a result, it concludes that relevant stakeholders must focus on mobilizing electorates in relevant constituencies to ensure that lawmakers who oppose CEDAW domestication are recalled in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
Keywords: Gender discrimination, Young women, Unemployment, and Human Rights.

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Publication Date: 2023-04-06