Professor Deborah Shade Adekeye has called for increased women participation in governance while also emphasizing the need for more women to take up leadership positions at all levels.
Adekeye, a Professor of Gender and Developmental Studies at the Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, also urged those in positions of authority in Nigeria to ensure full implementation of the 35% affirmative action (AA) for women in governance by all tiers of government.
She asserted that this has been done in other African countries like Rwanda and South Africa.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Professor Deborah Shade Adekeye said this while delivering her inaugural lecture at the Main Auditorium of the University of Ilorin last week Thursday.
It was University of Ilorin’s 293rd inaugural lecture and it was titled ‘Breaking The Glass Ceiling For African Women: Insights From Gender Studies’.
Listing factors that have resulted in women being vastly underrepresented in decision-making roles to include poor level of education, low self-esteem and time management, Professor Deborah Shade Adekeye urged Nigerian women to, at individual level, challenge barriers that may be militating against their aspirations and motive for success.
‘This can be done through proper education; training and mentoring that can assist the individuals in reaching the top of their career or achieving success in their choosing fields’ she added.
All organizations or work settings should also according to her do away with negative working environment, gender discrimination, bias corporate policies and leadership style that are detrimental to the advancement of women in their respective organizations, and ensure that they give a room for a work-balance environment that will allow women to perform their responsibilities at home, and at workplace.
She also submitted that there is a need for the Federal Government to encourage female education, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) noting that ‘access to education especially in the STEM will improve the opportunities for girls and close the gap in higher education enrolment’.
All members of society, Professor Adekeye noted, should make conscious efforts to reduce all the obnoxious norms under the patriarchy system in African countries that somewhat hinder women and promote male dominance in social, economic and political spheres.
She also called for eradication of gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices such as genital mutilation, child marriage and widow inheritance.
Professor Deborah Shade Adekeye also noted that if the recommendations she has made are turned into policies and adequately implemented, ‘more women will have the opportunities to reach the pinnacle of their careers and contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective countries and Africa as a whole’.
Adekeye, who noted that women’s gender role revolves around characteristics like helpfulness, passivity and kindness, also submitted that traditionally, women are seen as care givers, nurturers, homemakers and helpers, while men’s gender roles revolve around characteristics such as dominance, assertiveness and strength, bread winner, leader and protection, these concepts, she added, were internalized and practiced by traditional African men and women while many factors have since contributed to the transition of women from the ‘traditional’ to the ‘modern’ society.
While acknowledging the fact that there has been a steady increase in the number of women entering the labour force, Professor Adekeye however said it has been observed that ‘the rate of participation in terms of quality and quantity cannot be compared with their male counterparts’.
For the media and entertainment industry, there was good news, as women are according to Professor Adekeye no longer taking the back seat but rather playing active roles.
‘They are contributing their quotas in print, broadcasting, social media, magazines, television, internet and digital media. Women are also contributing to the entertainment world across Africa’ she said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
