Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their gender or sex. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Gender inequality in Nigeria is influenced by different cultures and beliefs. In most parts of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

are considered subordinate to their male counterparts, especially in

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

as well as in other sectors including the Nigeria

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

, and education sector. It is generally believed that women are best suited as home keepers. Article I of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...

(UNDHR) provides: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. “ Article 2 of the UNDHR also re-emphasises the equality of human persons as follows: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

, colour, sex,

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Feminism in Nigeria

Feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

did not appear in Nigeria until roughly 40 years ago. This has been attributed to

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, MON ( /ˌfʊnmiˈlaɪjoʊ ˈrænsəm ˈkuːti/; born Frances Abigail Olufunmilayo Thomas; 25 October 190013 April 1978), also known as Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti, was a Nigerian educator, political campaigner, suf ...

. She was born in

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

, Nigeria, and was educated through the British schooling system. She supported and fought for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, as well as for women to have a larger impact in the Nigerian government. She was a part of the WIDF (

Women's International Democratic Federation Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) is an international organization with the stated goal of working for women's rights. It was established in 1945 and was most active during the Cold War. It initially focussed on anti-fascism, worl ...

), which helped more women to gain government positions, furthering what she wished to accomplish with women in Nigeria. Ransome-Kuti died in 1978. However,

Nwanyeruwa Nwanyeruwa , also known as Madame Nwanyeruwa, was an Igbo woman living in colonial Nigeria who gained prominence for her role in the Aba Women's Riots, better known as the Women's War. The revolt stemmed for the reluctance of Nigerian women to be ...

who had sparked the Aba Women’s Riots of 1929 as seen in British colonial records, could be considered by history to be the first well known feminist in Nigeria. She strategically executed an anti-colonial revolt alongside other women to redress

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

inequality. The Aba Women’s war prompted colonial authorities to drop their plans to impose a

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

on the market women. One of Nigeria's well-known newspapers referred to her as "a progressive revolutionary" and "a Pan-African visionary." After the death of

other feminists like

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "the most prominent" of a "procession of criticall ...

, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi and others :Nigerian feminists emerged. Historically, feminist movements have tried to push agendas leading to more gender equality in Nigeria. Among the most known are Federation of Nigerian Women's Societies (FNWS), Women in Nigeria (WIN), Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), Female in Nigeria (FIN) and Feminist Coalition (a recent movement)

Feminist Coalition The Feminist Coalition is a group of young Nigerian feminists who work to promote equality for women in Nigerian society. It was co-founded in July 2020 by Damilola Odufuwa and Odunayo Eweniyi. Projects In October 2020, a series of mass peac ...

. Still, most of them have failed to bring about significant political, social or economic growth. However, new feminist movements and gender awareness are forming in Nigeria. Online, women are using mobile phones for

social capital Social capital is "the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively". It involves the effective functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships ...

building and empowerment as well as to access information and form relationships with communities they would not normally engage with.

Feminist movement in Nigeria

After the

Aba women's riot The Women's War, or Aba Women's Protest (Igbo: ''Ogu Umunwanyi''; Ibibio: ''Ekong Iban''), was a period of unrest in colonial Nigeria over November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and ...

in 1929, the

Feminist Movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for Radical politics, radical and Liberalism, liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality b ...

in Nigeria covertly and unintentionally got its start. Women are now clearly present in all walks of life in Nigeria as a result of the extraordinary increase that has been observed throughout time.Nigerian women practice a form of feminism that views men as complementing partners in progress rather than as rivals. It is usually divided into three waves: the first wave, which dealt with voting rights and property rights; the second wave, which concentrated on equality and anti-discrimination; and the third wave, which began in the 1990s as a reaction to the second wave's alleged preference for white, straight women.

Examples of contemporary feminist movements in Nigeria.

Aside from the Me Too movement, there have been other powerful hashtag campaigns, including Female in Nigeria, which urged women to speak out about the difficult conditions that women in that nation faced, Bring Back Our Girls, a drive to find hundreds of girls who had been abducted by the terrorist organization Boko Haram, and most recently

No More No More may refer to: * No More (band), a German post-punk band Songs * "No More" (1944 song), written by Bob Russell and Toots Camarata; covered by Billie Holiday * "No More" (1961 song), a version of "La Paloma" recorded by Elvis Presley an ...

, an initiative started by Nigerian activist Ireti Bakare-Yusuf that aims to put an end to sexual abuse and impunity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gender Inequality Women's rights in Nigeria Women in Nigeria

Feminism in Nigeria

Feminist movement in Nigeria

Examples of contemporary feminist movements in Nigeria.

References

See also

References