Gender bias and how to deal with it topped the agenda when a panel of accomplished women joined Nigeria Info 99.3 Lagos FM for its 2024 Women in Leadership Conference.
Nigeria Info presenter, Maryann Okon, anchored the virtual conference in commemoration of the International Women’s Week. The Lagos branch Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Chinwe Efobi, challenged women to fight against bias, which she said, arose from cultural and social norms.
Efobi said: “Most women lack confidence; they don’t want to come out to grasp what is meant for them, because we are in a man’s world.
“We need to encourage one another, especially the younger ones so that they won’t be discouraged.
“A woman came out to run for the post of chairman in one of the branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that has up to 2,000 members, and she got just four votes.
“Without having self-confidence, women cannot go far. Nigeria is a patriarchal society that feels women are supposed to be in the kitchen and the other room.”
An Associate Professor at the University of Lagos College of Medicine, Dr Alero Roberts, agreed that the factors limiting women’s progress are the results of cultural beliefs and upbringing. She, however, challenged women and girls to keep up with the quest to lead in their different fields and callings.
