AFRICAN CULTURE AND THE STATUS OF WOMEN: THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN EBIRALAND, NORTH – CENTRAL NIGERIA. (original) (raw)
Related papers
WOMANHOOD IN TIV ORATURE: A DECONSTRUTIVE ANALYSIS OF GENDER ROLES IN AFRICA
Philosophy and Praxis, Vol. 11. No. 2. , 2021
The Tiv of Middle-Belt Nigeria are a unique ethnic nationality whose feminine gender is regarded as the heartbeat of the house holder, the measure of all things for the husband and the epicenter of the community. Contrary to the conclusion of the African Neo-cultural positivists, the feminine gender in Tiv is assigned noble roles that elevates than demean her status as a woman. She is neither marginalized nor oppressed and exploited in social, political, economic and religious spheres. Gender discrimination is sine qua non in traditional society though, it is benevolent. The paper argues further that, redemption from discrimination for the kwase Tiv 1 is neither found in liberating her, for she is not enslaved, nor in centering her, she is the epicenter of the house holder. Womanhood in her feminine roles supplements and compliments the men for universal beneficence; the common good of Tiv society. She has womb, kitchen and cradle, but in further empowerment of her female power. We conclude that the roles tradition assigns to women are meant to advance the anatomy of their female power to receive life's impulses to husband its stability and persistence of Tiv society. Woman is a female, and man is a male, different as biological facts though, they both seek in each, the other and the being of their beings.
African Culture and the Status of Women: The Yoruba Example
Issues relating to the rights of women across the globe are a major focus of contemporary scholarship. Quest for women emancipation has been on the increase in religious, political and economic spheres. This is premised on the fact that women are always at the receiving end. This however has been discovered not to be true in its entirety as women in every society enjoy some inalienable privileges. This paper therefore discusses the status of Yoruba women in traditional Africa from a holistic perspective, with emphasis on how culture has impacted negatively on their well-being, although there are benefits derive from their status in society. Thus, it recommended that cultural practices that are harmful to women should be discarded, while caution must be exercised in the quest for the liberation of women so that African cultural values can be retained, and thus not destroyed under the guise of civilization.
STATUS OF WOMEN IN NIGERIA IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
Women are the central processing unit of every community, the central nervous system that controls and coordinates the social system. In Nigeria the issue of women marginalization, neglect, subservience, etc has been moving with the speed of an eagle against the wind after colonialism. Though male and female do have biological and structural differences peculiar to each; mental processes of both sexes are the same. One can be more active depending on the level of activation factored by both physical and social environments at each period. In Nigeria, the socialization processes that are unequally available for both sexes from birth through secondary socialization and the later processes of the social system especially after the coming of the British and his structures is not conducive to the female child. This paper argues that the colonial system such as patriarchy, lack of empowerment for females, family (nuclear family) etc are the chief causes of sexual inequality and subordination that still exists and has refused to abate to include women in the decision making sector. This paper therefore discusses the factors inherent in the colonial system that sustain the status quo. It used both historical and theoretical perspectives and guided by feminist theories. The paper suggests therefore that if colonial mentality of subduing women and retaining power through regulations, rules and socialization processes is strongly opposed through regulations in Nigeria and enforced with zero tolerance to male preference, it will encourage dispensing authority on merit. Then women who meet the desired requirements for each system will have equal chances with their male counterparts in contributing to the growth and development of every aspect of the social system.
Power and Womanhood in Africa: An Introductory Evaluation
There is no gainsaying the obvious that women have played leadership roles in the development of various African societies from pre-colonial days till now. Even though the patriarchy system in Africa cannot be denied, yet, the African woman possesses the power that binds the society together. In traditional African society, the survival of the family and the future of marriage depended a great deal on the African woman. Thus, the African woman played a key role in the education and the teaching of children social, ethical and moral values which were part of the cultural standards for evaluating proper societal behaviour. Even in contemporary Africa where most women are now more equipped and empowered, the traditional care-giving, home-making and nurturing roles of women in the African family which formed the basis of their identity as wives and mothers are gradually been abandoned, as they have become increasingly involved in new roles and relations outside the home. This paper identifies the indispensable role the woman plays in the society. It seeks to address the sense of inequality which revolves around the concept of gender in contemporary society which arguably fails to recognize the power the African woman possesses. The paper, nonetheless, examines the implications and consequences of the increased social and economic empowerment of the contemporary African woman in the light of her traditional roles as wife and mother.
The status of women in Nigeria has been going to through a general review, given the increasing observance of the law as related to fundamental human rights and gender rights. A paper on Ebira Women will provide a background picture, as to where the increasing yearning for women's right is emanating from. This paper provides the needed background knowledge as regards the rights, status and position of women in Ebira land.
Through Historical Lens: The changing Status of Women in Post-Colonial Africa
What Should Women Want? Before and Beyond ” Sharon Adetutu Omotoso and Mutiat Titi Oladejo (eds),, 2019
Through series of studies, it is evident that women over time have been faced with different issues, which in more ways than one have affected her endeavours in all ramifications, ranging from political to social, economic, marital, religious to mention a few, African women not excluded. From 1960 there have been records of changes in the status women and how they are treated, but still these historical issues persist such as the patriarchy nature of the society etc. The aim of this paper is to go through the historic scene of African women, showing the status of women in pre-colonial and colonial epochs with the evidence of examples showing the presence of historical issues in political, economic, religious, marital, etc. sectors. Also the paper objective is to show the changing status of Women in Post-Colonial Africa society and the persistent evidence of historical issues which have become a great challenge to women and the society at large.
DECOLONIZING NIGERIAN WOMEN: A HISTORICAL NECESSITY
Nigerian women, viewed from the perspective of the " Colonial mind, " were adjudged weak, oppressed and peripheral to developments in their respective societies. This rather jaundiced perception of Nigerian women was fashioned by several colonial policies and activities spanning several decades of colonial exploitation of Nigeria. This paper seeks to show that Nigerian women were not as inconsequential and marginal to the flow of history as they were portrayed. Indeed, their contributions to the growth and development of society were real, genuine, remarkable and worthy of acknowledgment. To underscore our point, the example of traditional Ejagham women in the Cross River region of Nigeria would be highlighted with a view to providing a worthy basis for extrapolation with women in other parts of Nigeria in order to demonstrate how Nigerian women as individuals and especially as groups contributed meaningfully to the socio-political and economic development of their respective societies. This paper shall rely on extant materials in books and published articles.
Women as Agents of Peace and Social Development in the South-Eastern Nigeria
International Journal of African and Asian Studies, 2020
Contemporary gender discourse on African socio-cultural and religious issues in the past decades tend to give more accolades to the masculine rather than the feminine genders. Consequently, the male is viewed from the positive, objective, strong, intellective, dominant and determined perspective while the female is regarded as weak, passive, emotional, intuitive, childish, dependent and evil. These negative perceptions of most African male as regards to women has led to the present day women struggles for equal rights and opportunities in the educational, political, social, cultural, economic and even religious spheres. How true is the perceptions of most African male as regards to women? Are there no roles played by women in the traditional African society which distinguishes them as strong, objective and intellective? How have women contributed to the initiation of peace and peace building in the traditional African society especially in the SouthEastern Nigeria? This is the thrust of this paper. The paper examines the role of women as agents of peace and social development in the African traditional society with reference to the SouthEastern Nigeria. Having employed the descriptive analysis, the paper argued that before, during and after the colonial era, women have been agents of peace and social development in the African traditional society particularly in SouthEastern Nigeria. This is achieved through a female association known as Omurinya/Umuada. The paper strongly recommends that rather than marginalize, discriminate or oppress women based on their gender, there should be equal treatment of both men and women in all spheres of human endeavour.
THE WOMEN OF NIGERIA: PROBLEMS, PANACAE AND PROSPECTS
This article is a brief write-up on the broad issue of gender victimization and social inequalities in Nigeria especially as it bothers on Women. Despite the efforts to move away from this ancient mentality with regard the subordination of the women folk, there still exist disparities between the both genders in virtually all facets of life in contemporary times. For example, in the area of politics, despite the fact that women constitute more than half of the electorates, women have been practically absent in politics especially in Nigeria.
Diatude ' : How Som E Women Escaped From Men ' S Domination In Southwest Nigeria
2013
Traditional views on women in relation to men in almost all aspects of life have always been in favour of the male gender across cultures. In deed women and the girl child have been subjected to all forms of discriminations, exclusions and segregations from birth to old age. This phenomenon has been a challenge to many scholars, government and International Agencies the world over. Efforts have therefore been made to address the negative effects of male dominance in all sphere of life to the detriment of women. This paper is yet another attempt at contributing to the existing knowledge on how to tackle the challenges of gender discrimination in relation to development of humanity. The attempt here however is a departure from the usual focus on how women have been denied opportunities to contribute to development. It rather focuses on how some women have been able to remove or jump over the barriers mounted by patriarchy and patriarchal structures in a developing society. The paper e...