Women! Power! These two words when spoken in connection with each other produced an unpleasant sensation, often leading to rejection and disgust. The context seemed queer and indeed to the general male populace today. More so, In Nigeria, they should be rarely be united. So read the thoughts of the offended.
The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her…
He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had not voice…
He never permitted her to exercise her inalienable rights to the elective Franchise.
He has made her, if married, in the eyes of the law, civilly dead… she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming to all intents and purposes, her master the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement. If simple, and the power of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.
He has denied her the facilities or obtaining a thorough education…
He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration.
He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women.
He allows he in church, as well as state, but a subordinate position…
He has endeavored, in every way that he could to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willingly to lead a dependent and abject life.
Such thoughts stimulate the need for attention re-orientation of sense of justice and rights, greater respect to the woman, not for what she is (a woman) but also who she is (a human).
Campaign for women empowerment in Nigeria leaves no part of their strategy unaffected, unaltered and untouched. The question now is how far having women fared in campaigning for their empowerment: This is the object of this study.
In chapter two, the researchers review literatures having relevance to the subject matter. Chapter three specifies the methodology adopted for the study. Chapter four is on data analysis and presentation, while in chapter five; the researcher summarizes the whole exercise makes recommendations on how to tackle the problem with a view to extricating women from the predicament they find themselves.
It is believed that over the years, through the cultural norms in certain societies among which is Africa, and in particular, Nigeria women have been marginalized in the scheme of things making them feel unappreciated in spite of the contributions they make. Women are told that they could be seen and not be heard. As such, they are reduced to mere chattels in the homes is their husbands.
In some cultural setting here in Nigeria, women are subjected to undue hardships and torture as a result of the death of their husbands as if they contributed to their husband’s death. They are denied possessions of their husband’s property, and are even asked to give account of their husband’s possessions where the perpetrators fail top recover from the widows as much as they expected from them. Some women are forced to sit on bare floors for the duration of their husband’s burial periods of the day and also forbidden to take their baths or eat except at approved periods.
This, societal laws reduce female to a state of powerlessness, Okoye (1995) on the country, when the wife dies, the husband is adjudged free from all blame and is allowed to move about at will. Christianity has tried to correct these ills in certain communities, but they still prevail in others.
Historically and culturally too, women had hitherto been seen as mere appendages to men, indeed as the man’s woman. Women have often been referred to as the weaker sex and this informs the superior stance of men. The fact that women are judged by their gender rather than by their experience, ability and intelligence does not prove that there is inferior to men but portrays the prejudice against women.
One of the most obvious determinations of success is ability. We have some female politicians who, if given the chance, will perform more creditably unlike the male counterpart who are interested in embezzling of public funds.
The women liberation movement has conditioned a lot of women and young girls to believe that they are independent and can do everything. This attitude has led many women to use “double-barreled names” because they do not want to loose their identity and surrender to their new role to motherhood.
In the process of trying to achieve their aspirations, women have had to contend with a lot of prejudice, cultural bias and male chauvinism. It is common knowledge that educated women are often castigated as “acatas”. These so called acatas are labeled “unmarriageable”, while some are accused of over-shadowing their husbands. It is also noticed that some women who runs hotel business in other to help their families are often regarded as prostitute even those into politics are also seen as flirt.
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