For decades, the question of gender parity has overstepped the boundaries of equality to firmly register as a question of justice. Those who have been at the forefront of pushing this question have always argued and firmly too that if everyone is to be considered as an equal partner in the bid to make the world an equal place, women too must take their rightful place.
However, in a deeply and cheaply patriarchal society such as Nigeria, the mere thought that women should claim equality with men is giving some people stomach cramps on a nightly basis.
This is not surprising. A country as gravely unequal as Nigeria is would always be loath to close the equality gap. Whether the scrutiny is on income inequality or gender inequality or on something as basic as equality before the law, the result is always familiar.
This inequality is at once widespread and systemic. Wherever one turns in the country, the nagging feeling of inequality is unmistakable. The result is always the same. It is many people, more than half of Nigeria`s population that continue to run the risk of being left out by the fact that Nigeria has repeatedly failed to straighten the crooked lines of its gender equality.
Closing gender gaps
Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empirically grounded while others appear to be social constructs.
Some common examples of gender inequality existing in the world today are lack of mobility, freedom of marriage, discriminatory divorce rights, citizenship, frontline combat, custody rights, violence and professional obstacles.
In its most insidious form, gender inequality manifests in violence. The statistics are sobering: Some 1 in 20 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 – around 13 million – have experienced forced sex. In times of both peace and conflict, adolescent girls face the highest risk of gender-based violence. Hundreds of millions of girls worldwide are still subjected to child marriage and female genital mutilation even if both are recognized internationally as human rights violations.
In many instances, gender inequality begins from childhood with too many children growing to get used to it. Girls and boys see gender inequality in their homes and communities every day- in textbooks, in the media and among the adults who care for them.
Parents also assume unequal responsibility for household work with mothers bearing the brunt of caregiving and chores.
A new report by the United Nations Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs(UN DESA) has revealed that achieving gender equality will no longer be possible by 2030. According to the report, at the current rate of progress of Sustainable Development Goal 5, it may take close to 300 years to achieve full gender equality.
The report title “Gender Snapshot 2022” showed the frightening implications of global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, violent conflict, climate change, and the backlash against women`s sexual and reproductive rights and health.
This is no doubt a hammer blow to the aspirations of those invested in building a world where equality is a theme to human affairs.
The contributions of women to building a peaceful and prosperous world can never be overemphasized. When it is considered that their full potentials remain untapped owing to gender disparities, there is no telling how much better the world can be when gender equality is achieved.
The years are long away and each year that passes without gender equality leaves behind a world that is the worse for it.
Kene Obiezu,
Twitter: @kenobiezu
