Tiv Women and the Development of the Food and Hospitality Industry in Lafia, Nasarawa State, 1996–2025

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/11/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 6 (2026)

Article No.

087

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-HLRH9CAR

Received

31 Oct 2026

Views

32

Downloads

11

Abstract

This study examines the economic activities and socioeconomic contributions of Tiv women in the food vending and hospitality industries in Lafia, Nasarawa State, between 1996 and 2025. It explores how the emergence of Lafia as the capital of Nasarawa State in 1996, alongside urbanisation and the expansion of commercial activities, created new economic opportunities for Tiv women. Drawing on Feminist Political Economy as its theoretical framework, the study analyses women's participation in street-food vending, restaurants, hotels, bars, catering establishments and other hospitality-related services. It argues that these occupations have provided important avenues for income generation, financial independence, household support, employment creation and entrepreneurial development. The study further examines the challenges confronting Tiv women, including inadequate access to capital, fluctuating operating costs, workplace discrimination, occupational insecurity and unfavourable social perceptions. Particular attention is given to the stereotype associating Tiv women employed in hotels, bars and other hospitality establishments with prostitution. The study challenges this generalisation by distinguishing between legitimate occupational activities and assumptions about women's sexuality and morality. It contends that the economic participation of Tiv women in Lafia represents an adaptation of longstanding traditions of female economic engagement to the opportunities and demands of an expanding urban economy. The study concludes that Tiv women's contributions to Lafia's food and hospitality economy deserve greater historical recognition, while gendered and ethnicised occupational stereotypes require critical examination.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.