Enhancing Social Network Status and Empowerment of Rural Nigerian Women through Non-Formal Education

The study examined the extent participation in non-formal education programmes improved social networking and empowerment of rural women in Nigeria. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. Survey research design employing stratified random sampling was used to sample 1668 rural women from Enugu and Plateau States who participated in the Women for Women International’s Non-formal Education programme, out of which 1558 responded to the study. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was face validated by experts in the field of education, a reliability co-efficient of 0.76 was obtained using cronbach alfa method of determining internal consistency of instrument. The research question was answered using mean and grandmean while the hypothesis was analysed using t-test statistics. The result revealed that participation in non-formal education programmes improved social network status and empowered rural women in Nigeria. Significant differences existed in the mean response of rural women in Enugu and Plateau states on the extent participation in non-formal education programme improved their social network status. It was recommended among other things that Renewing Women’s Lifeskill education prorgamme should be inculcated into women education programme of the National Policy on Women Education in Nigeria. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n5p35