Theorising Masculinity Crisis and Gender Violence in Post-Oil-Boom Nigeria

Economic contraction and identity disruption associated with the decline of Nigeria's oil-dependent masculine provider ideal have theoretical and empirical implications for gender violence that remain undertheorised in African gender studies. This study develops a theory of masculinity crisis and its relationship to gender violence in post-oil-boom Nigeria, drawing on evidence from oil-producing communities in the South South and economically marginalised communities in the North East and North West. A critical realist paradigm underpins a multi-method design employing 65 in-depth interviews with men, women, and gender practitioners across three zones, a quantitative survey of 240 men in economic stress contexts, and analysis of GBV trend data against economic indicators. Masculinity theory, feminist political economy, and crisis theory guided framework construction. Findings demonstrate that economic masculine identity threat is significantly associated with increased domestic violence incidence, street harassment, and opposition to women's economic participation, following a masculinity compensation mechanism. The effect is moderated by access to alternative masculine affirmation pathways including community recognition, religious identity, and caregiving identity. The study proposes an original Masculinity Crisis-Gender Violence Theory (MCGVT) that specifies the conditions under which economic stress produces gender violence escalation and identifies protective factors that interrupt this pathway. Keywords: masculinity, gender violence, economic crisis, Nigeria, theory