Nigeria is celebrating 58 years of independence. But what does this mean for a Nigerian female millennial like me?
In my opinion, Nigeria has a male-dominated society where women are subordinate, and not valued the way they ought to be. Whether rich or poor, urban or rural, educated or un-educated, we all still face the same issues. Here are some of the areas that give me cause for concern regarding this:
Marriage
Although, marriage is a highly valued institution in the country, the onus of making a marriage successful seems to fall on women alone. Nigerian women sacrifice so much to keep the sanctity of marriage in order to avoid rebuke and dishonor, and the disgrace of divorce. This pressure is especially intense with millennial brides, as they do not want to bring shame to their families as newlyweds. Last I checked, marriage was a union between two people. So why don’t we have the same expectations for the husbands? Why does all the burden of making a marriage succesful tend to fall on the wife?
Housing
Getting an apartment as a single woman is a nightmare. Many landlords don’t want to rent out their apartment because they feel that a single female living alone is most likely a prostitute, or may owe rent because it is assumed that they aren’t financially secure.
Career
After a certain age as a woman, it is incredibly difficult to find a decent job, as it is assumed that the older you are, the more likely you are to get married, get pregnant, have a child, and have less time to dedicate to your job. So if you are a millennial woman in your early to mid 30s you’ve got tough luck in the job market! Hmmmph.
Domestic Violence
Is it just me or are the reports of domestic violence seemingly rising these days? There are so many stories of domestic violence. Increasingly, these have led to the death of the victims. And in most cases, these are actually moms or wives.
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God bless Nigeria! I love my country. But the way we treat our women needs to change! Only then can we truly celebrate independence – independence from sexism and misogyny.
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