Shattering the glass ceiling

Sir: On March 8, 2022, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Women Day, which is celebrated the world over on March 8 every year. This year’s celebration coming against the backdrop of Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine and the significant challenges women continue to face the world over certainly highlighted what has been done to give women a sense of safety and inclusion in the world and just how painfully short efforts to guarantee better treatment for women and girls the world over remain.

Women form a very sizable chunk of the world’s population. In human affairs, the contributions of women have remained indubitable, indispensable and indisputable in spite of the historic discrimination they continue to suffer everywhere.

In many countries of the world, especially developing countries, women continue to be shortchanged by shameful superstitions, antiquated customs and traditions, archaic religious beliefs and the malignant mentality that insists that women must remain backstage when the men come to the front stage. This prevalent way of thinking and acting as pernicious as it is continues to wreak havoc in the world but especially in countries where efforts to include women in national affairs have always been stymied by a lack of political will.

All over the world, in the course of history, women have always shown that when given opportunities to contribute, they can hold their own while giving the best of men a run for their money. The debate about when and how those opportunities should come have always been a matter of heated contention but that there is even a debate about the role women should play in an ever-changing world betrays the fact that women are not given the seriousness they deserve.

In Nigeria, in spite of the best efforts of civil society groups which advocate for gender equality, and the effusive promises of Nigerian politicians, there remains a yawning gap between where women are and where they should be in national affairs. This gap which has so far defied many efforts to close it must be closed if Nigeria is to achieve its development goals.

In politics for example, women continue to play second fiddle in spite of the overwhelming evidence that they form the bedrock of the democratic process at all levels by their customarily unwavering participation.
 
Yet, year after year, government after government fails to appoint the requisite number of women that should be in government before it could be said to be inclusive. While this goes on, women continue to be left behind when and where it matters most.
 
Today, insecurity poses an existential threat to Nigeria. Everyday, as innocent people are slaughtered, their houses and farms torched, and their livelihoods completely obliterated across Nigeria, women and children remain vulnerable witnesses to the unspeakable upheavals these conflicts engender.

Women continue to feel powerless to protect themselves and their children and to give their lives much needed stability. To achieve gender equality across all spheres of life in Nigeria, it is crucial that women are empowered with the education and economic resources they need to build stable homes and protect their children. For this to happen, the education of girls and women must remain top priority while the economic inclusion of women must continue to find space in government policies and programmes.
 
All efforts must also be made to stamp out every form of discrimination against women. The law must be especially deployed to go after all those who hide behind obnoxious doctrines and obscene traditions to discriminate against women and girls.
• Kene Obiezu