IWD: Don’t let your gender define you, Don tells Ibadan students

A team of gender experts have advised Ibadan girls not to let societal stereotypes and their sex or gender define or discourage them from achieving their dreams.

Led by Dr Sharon Omotoso, Associate Professor at the Institute of African Studies and Coordinator of the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC), University of Ibadan, the initiative, which was in collaboration with the Centre for Applied Ethics and Political Communication in Africa (CAEPOCOM Africa), commemorates the 2025 International Women’s Day, celebrated every 8th of March.

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At the event which was attended by volunteers from WORDOC and CAEPOCOM Africa on Thursday, the charge was made while speaking to selected female students of Grace of Faith College in Ibadan.

Interaction with the students covered sex and gender issues, dating, friendships, and the dangers of keeping secrets from their teachers and parents who could help.

The students were cautioned against all forms of relationships that could lead to unwanted pregnancy and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which will jeopardise their lives, education, and future.

Dr Omotoso advised the young girls to take their education and studies seriously, stressing that when a girl-child is educated, the whole nation is educated. Furthermore, she advised girls to use phones and other digital devices wisely for their development and to pay attention to their health and hygiene.

Speaking further on the challenges women and young girls face in society, such as gender discrimination, career discrimination, sexual harassment, domestic violence, among others, Dr Omotoso notes that women’s life goals are often undermined in politics, society and religious spheres across nations of the world.

In light of this, she charged the girls not to let their challenges discourage them or disrupt their ambitions, instead, they should turn them into triumph, stating, “As women, we need to work together to end the challenges that women go through.”

In addition, she affirms that women cannot solve the problems alone, adding, “We also need men who are not afraid of women’s success to collaborate with women to achieve their goals and aspirations”.

In the same vein, the girls were charged to honour their parents and teachers and keep healthy relationships.

In his response, the Proprietor of Grace of Faith College, Mr George Monday Nwokoro, thanked the team for such an insightful time with the students, adding that intellectual gestures like these are needed to inspire girls and set them in the right direction.

One of the teachers of the school, Mrs Kehinde Akinbowale, stated that the girls, including herself, learnt a lot from the talk, which would go a long way in shaping their mindsets towards becoming better citizens in the future.