Craft production is central aspect of the socio-economic and cultural life of many African societies, and on the Jos-Plateau it remains vital to identity, livelihood, and social organization.  The paper examines the relationship between gender and craft production among the Ron and Mwaghavul ethnic groups of Jos-Plateau, North-Central Nigeria. Using a gender-as-social-construction framework, the study investigates how gender roles structure the division of labour, transmission of skills, access to resources, and social value attached to different crafts. Drawing from ethnographic literature, oral tradition, and secondary archaeological data, the paper identifies the major crafts associated with each group, including pottery, weaving, basketry, iron smelting, blacksmithing and wood carving. It argues that craft production among the Ron and Mwaghavul is deeply gendered with women historically dominating domestic crafts such as pottery and weaving that sustain household economies and ritual life, while men dominates crafts tied to iron production, wood carving, and external trade. The findings show that gender is not only in a principle of labour division but also a key lens to understanding other influences among the Ron and Mwaghavul. The paper further highlights the need to recognize women’s and men’s distinct complementary roles in sustaining material culture among the two ethnic groups.

Keywords: Gender, crafts production, Ron, Mwaghavul, Jos-Plateau, Divison of labour, North-Central Nigeria.