Gendered Communication and Demographic Perspectives on Fuel Subsidy Removal in Nigeria: Lessons for Policy Formulation

Abstract

This study examined the gendered communicative implications of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria using insights from Feminist Economics, Gendered Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity theories. These frameworks explain why subsidy reforms, though fiscally necessary, produce unequal outcomes because women’s unpaid care roles, limited access to resources, and restricted economic mobility heighten their exposure to fuel-price shocks. A qualitative, interpretive mixed-method review design was adopted. The study analysed 35 academic articles, policy reports, NGO publications, and demographic datasets published between 2005 and 2024. Sources were drawn from major scholarly databases and institutional repositories. An intersectional feminist lens guided thematic analysis, while secondary datasets supported demographic profiling and triangulation. Findings show that fuel subsidy removal intensifies household energy burdens and inflationary pressures, disproportionately affecting women, informal workers, and low-income households. Women’s limited financial buffers, caregiving responsibilities, and dominance in the informal sector reduce their adaptive capacity and deepen economic strain. Communication analysis reveals that government and media messaging is largely gender-neutral, urban-centred, and inaccessible to many vulnerable groups, limiting understanding and engagement. Demographic data identify female-headed households, rural populations, informal traders, and youth in precarious employment as the most affected. Overall, the study demonstrates that subsidy removal has deeply gendered consequences and highlights the need for gender-responsive policymaking, inclusive communication strategies, and targeted social protection to ensure equitable reform outcomes.