GENDER INEQUALITY: Within and Outside Nigeria

Introduction

Gender inequality severely impacts women globally across safety, economics, and healthcare. Nearly 1 in 3 women (about 840 million) experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Women earn roughly 20% less than men worldwide and make up 67% of the global health workforce, yet perform 76% of unpaid care work.  Women nowadays suffer inequality. Men are seen to be in higher positions than these women. Women should be given the same preferential treatment as man. They should be given the opportunity to be in positions that men also occupy. Females can’t keep on suffering inequality from men. Everyone should be treated fairly and equally without bias. Some men are even of the belief that women are superior to men. I will be giving significant information to back this all up in my article.  In my article, i will be stating reasons on why women should be treated equally. Both in law and outside law, all genders are to be treated in the same way.

Existing Legal Framework

Statues

In Nigeria,  Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended) provides for gender equality. It guarantees freedom from discrimination based on sex. Section 17  also establishes state policies aimed at ensuring equality of opportunity, social justice, and equal pay for equal work.

Cases

In the landmark case of Ukeje v. Ukeje (2014),  the Supreme Court of Nigeria struck down Igbo customary laws that prevented female children from inheriting their late father’s property. The court ruled that such discriminatory practices violate the fundamental human rights provision against discrimination enshrined in Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.  In another landmark case of Women’s Rights Action and Public Enlightenment vs. Federal Government of Nigeria (2022), the  Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a landmark judgment enforcing the National Gender Policy, which dictates a 35% affirmative action for women in appointive public positions. The presiding judge ruled that the government’s failure to include women in inclusive governance breaches the constitutional rights to freedom from discrimination and the right to dignity. Mojekwu v. Mojekwu (1997) is another Court of Appeal and Supreme Court case which scrutinized the ‘Oli-Ekpe’ customary law in Nnewi (Anambra State) which favored male relatives over daughters and wives in inheritance. While the courts declared customs that disinherit females repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience, the battle to fully eradicate such systemic traditions remains ongoing. Also a supreme court case of  Akinnubi v. Akinnubi (1997),  which affirmed certain Yoruba native laws and customs where a widow was not legally permitted to inherit her husband’s property, heavily highlighting the legal challenges faced historically by Nigerian widows.

 Asides these Nigerian cases, there’s still the existence of international cases. In Reed v. Reed (1971), the court struck down a state law that preferred males over females as administrators of estates. It marked the first time the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. 14^th Amendment was applied to declare a law that discriminated on the basis of sex unconstitutional. In another international case of Avellanal v. Peru (1988) which was brought before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, this pivotal case determined that a Peruvian civil code that allowed only men to represent matrimonial property before the courts violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).  In Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), a monumental U.S. Supreme Court ruled confirming that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees against discrimination based on sex, effectively outlawing workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Challenges

In our society today, women are being treated unfairly and unequally. They aren’t allowed to own properties, inherit their husband’s or parents properties, hold high positions in the society and many more. Despite all these, women nowadays strive to make ends meet for themselves. They now work and push hard to ensure that they are treated well. As i earlier stated in the cases above most especially the Nigerian cases, women rights are no longer being taken for granted. They now fight for their rights to ensure fairness and equality. I am of the defense that women should be treated equally because we are all humans. Everyone should get the chance to have a say and not just the men.

Solutions

Now the big question we should be asking is how to curb this gender inequality. Curbing gender inequality requires dismantling structural barriers and cultural biases through actionable changes. Key strategies include enacting equal-opportunity policies, ensuring equal pay, and guaranteeing access to quality education. Some steps that can be taken is Equalizing Education which is a major and important step. Policies and programs that support child girls should be put in place. Some men especially the uneducated are of the opinion that girl children shouldn’t be sent to school as they belong in the kitchen but this is of course not close to the truth. Some even agree that women shouldn’t own properties as they will end up in their husband’s house by yet when it comes to inheritance they will get nothing. Also, violence has to be prevented because they are women who suffer violence and beatings from their husbands all in the name of marriage. Let’s not also forget that campaigns against all these can actually be put in place. Organisations like UNICEF, UN Women, NGO’s amongst others can also lend an helping hand.

Women shouldn’t suffer unjustly just because they are deemed a weaker vessel. They should be treated the same way every other person is treated. What of the girl child who gets abused and raped at a young age? How can people actually sell of their daughters in the name of money but keep their sons? What exactly is the world turning to? In this age and the do people still do this? Many , many and so many questions women ask but is there even a definite answer one can give to this? Well what can i say about these? First of all girl child should be protected! Girl child lives matter! Rape and abuse should be curbed! Domestic violence and abuse should be brought to an end! No women should suffer all in the name of marriage. Advocates, lawyers and every other person should stand up against these. Supporting these females are the least they can do on their part and now what even makes these matter worse, it is everywhere. Both in Africa and outside Africa. Women suffer over the world but yet no one seems to care. We have been left to just manage the situation but manage? How can one actually manage beatings, violence, rape?????. Females lives matter ad shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Well as i have earlier stated and will s continue to say, there’s equality which is even provided by the law. No women should be made to suffer. No girl should be raped. No girl should be sold out to an old man in the name of marriage. They are some organisations which helps to protect these rights. In Nigeria, there’s FIDA which is made up of women lawyers. They provide free legal representation, advocacy, mediation and many more to women who need it (which includes women suffering abuse, violence). There’s also the Women at Risk Interactional Foundation (WARIF) which majorly focuses on rape, human trafficking, amongst others. There’s also the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative which is dedicated to promoting the dignity of women and provides justice for them. For international, there’s the Global find for women which provides resources and grants to grassroots organisations fighting for zero violence, human rights and the general life of women. There also includes many other organisations which helps with this.

Conclusion

In summary, women deserve the right to fair treatment. No one should be treated unjustly or unfairly. We all have equal rights and this should be understood by everyone. We all have to right to live as humans. No person’s rights is bigger than the other. This article has been able to explain what women and girls go through. Its not easy to be a female in our today’s world. Even as the day advances, you would expect that it will stop by guess what? Some people still have that rubbish mentality. Women’s life matters. No one deserves to go through pain, suffering, all in the name of being a female child. Women on the other hand strive now to show themselves. There are likes of  Ngozi Okonjo- Iwela, Chimanada Ngozi Adichie and many more. Everyone deserves fair treatment and no one deserves to suffer. Let us all come together to ensure that females aren’t being suffered or maltreated and we all have equal rights.

Reference(S):

Cases

Ukeje v. Ukeje (2014) 11 NWLR (Pt. 1418) 384

Akinnubi v. Akinnubi (1997) 2 NWLR (Pt. 486) 144

Graciela Ato del Avellanal v. Peru, Communication No. 202/1986, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/34/D/202/1986 (28 October 1988                 

Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020)

Legislation

1999 Nigerian Constitution

Other sources

Online research

Online platforms