Gender Assessement of Income Inequality and Poverty Among Oil Palm Fruit Processors in Abak Agricultural Zone, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The research examined income inequality and poverty incidence among oil palm fruit processors in Abak agricultural zone, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria from gender perspective. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine the socioeconomic characteristics of oil palm processors in the study area, access and compare the income status of male and female oil palm fruit processors in the study area, examine the level of income inequality between male and female oil palm fruit processors in the study area and estimate the poverty level of male and female oil palm fruit processors in the study area. Data were collected using a questionnaire from 140 respondents (70 males and 70 female), selected through a three stage selecting procedure and analysed using descriptive statistics, Z-test, Gini coefficient and Foster-GreerThorbeek (FGT) model. Findings revealed that majority of the respondent were married (71.5% and 65.5%) and educated (71.4% and 77.1%) findings also revealed a mean age of (37 years) and education (9 years), household size of (64.3% and 68.6%), processing experience (9 and 7 years), member of cooperative and social organization (71.4% and 57.1%), extension services (48.5% and 42.8%) for male and female processors respectively. The result of income level and differences revealed a Z-test of N49,786, 219 and N43,240,750 for male and female processors respectively. Result of income inequality revealed a Gini Coefficient value of 0.7512 and 0.7752 for male and female processors respectively. The results of the poverty incidence using FGT revealed a head count ratio or index ratio of 0.3734 and 0.6822, income gap ratio of 0.0583 and 0.2044 and Poverty Severity of 0.0463 and 0.0752 for male female processors respectively. It was recommended that effort should be made to reduce the gender disparity gap in access to oil palm processing resources by processors and Poverty reduction initiatives by government and stakeholders should henceforth give priority attention to women than men.