Examining the Gendered Impact of Petroleum Economy Decline on Households in Bayelsa State

The declining revenues and structural disruptions associated with the petroleum sector contraction in the Niger Delta have had profound and gendered household impacts that have received insufficient academic attention. This study examines the gendered impact of petroleum economy decline on household welfare strategies and gender relations in Bayelsa State. A mixed-method longitudinal design was employed, with 200 households in Yenagoa, Ogbia, and Sagbama tracked over two survey waves (2022 and 2024), with 30 qualitative household case studies providing contextual depth. Difference-in-differences analysis, descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis were applied. Findings reveal that household income decline in petroleum-dependent Bayelsa communities has disproportionately increased women's unpaid workload, with women taking on additional income-generating activities to compensate for reduced male earnings while maintaining full domestic responsibilities. Male unemployment is associated with increased domestic violence incidence in the study sample, confirming the violence-poverty nexus in contexts of masculine identity threat. Women's economic contributions to households have increased but are less recognised in household decision-making authority. Recommendations include gender-sensitive economic diversification programmes, violence prevention programming linking masculine identity reconstruction to livelihood support, and women's economic cooperative development. Keywords: petroleum economy, gender, household impact, Bayelsa State, Niger Delta