By Josephine Uzorh and Juliet Nwite
The feminism debate has divided women folks as a truce is yet to be called between the feminist and the non feminist camp.
Feminism is a movement that fights for the equal rights of women. It advocates for their economic, political and social rights.
Nigeria is still a patriarchal society and the feminist are viewed as people who want to break that system.
Novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a strong feminist, who uses every opportunity to express her views.
In an interview she had with former United States secretary of state, Hilary Clinton at the 2018 PEN World Voices Festival Lecture, she queried why the first word in Hilary’s Twitter bio was wife, and then mom instead of her career achievements.
“In your Twitter account, the first word that describes you is Wife. And then I think it’s Mom, and then it’s Grandmother. And when I saw that, I have to confess that I felt just a little bit upset. And then I went and I looked at your husband’s Twitter account, and the first word was not husband,” Adichie told Hilary.
That observation made Hilary Clinton, who once occupied the most powerful appointed office in the United State to tweak her Twitter bio. Instead of wife and mom at the beginning, she changed it to ‘2016 Democratic nominee’, ‘Secretary of State’, ‘Senator’, ‘hair icon’ before ‘mom’, ‘wife’ and ‘grandma.’
The impact of Adichie’s observation on Hilary’s Twitter bio caused Hilary’s husband, Bill Clinton whose initial Twitter bio started with 42nd President of the United States, to change it to ‘Father’, ‘Husband’ before ‘42nd President of the United States.’
“My own definition is that a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there is a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better,” Adichie said.
Feminism is not gender based, a feminist could either be a man or a woman.
Gary Baker, chief executive officer of Promundo, an organisation that promotes gender equality, argued that: “Feminism is not men against women, it is not women against men, it is all of us in this together.”
Feminism is an age-long movement. Chimamanda Adichie’s story about how her great-grand mother, who did not know what the word ‘feminism’ meant at that time, resisted marrying a man she did not want, fought for her rights. She said it is a woman’s natural instinct to defend herself.
Nigerian feminist scholar. Oyèrónké Oyĕwùmí said gender disparity is a Western cultural construct that did not exist in traditional African society. To her, men and women are the same in every facet of relationship.
But those against feminism are quick to point out that in marriage, there is no equality.
A businesswoman, Wali Maryjane said feminist advocates for women’s right. “But that does not mean that a woman should not be submissive to her husband as it is written in the Bible.”
For Ayodeji Muslimat, another businesswoman: “If a woman submits to her own husband, that doesn’t make her inferior.”
She said it is cultural for a woman to submit to her husband because it has always been so in the beginning and would continue as so.
In a book, Total Woman, Marabel Morgan argued thatGod ordained man to be the head of the family, like thepresident.
“Your husband is what he is. Accept him as that. A Total Woman caters to her man’s special quirks, whether it be in salads, sex, or sports,” she said.
Annie Idibia, wife of 2Face Idibia, also dissociated herself from feminism.
“I believe in women empowerment. I believe men are still kings and women are queens. I don’t believe the woman is the king. I don’t believe a woman is a king, I believe she is a queen,” Annie said.
Pop star, Tiwa Savage was more blunt when she said she doesn’t think men and women are equal during a radio interview.
“We can be strong in our career and stuff, but when we are home we have to realize that the man is the head of the house,” Savage said.
A presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Eunice Atuejide, called Chimamanda an extremist for writing a book, “We Should All Be Feminists.” The book has been licensed for publication in 32 languages, and given to every 16-year-old in Sweden.
“I hope some of our women do not necessarily take on too much of the things she is saying because some of them could actually turn around and bite them in the bum,” Eunice said.
There are many people who believe in equal rights but find “feminism” as a word and a movement that doesn’t go with their personal beliefs or values.
