Nafisat Adebayo, 29, is one of the young women breaking barriers of gender limitation in Nigeria. With multiple businesses to her name, the young manager is the founder of Ano Modest Fashion — and the Modest Modelling Agency and Show which is the first modest fashion show in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
Meanwhile, women have limited expectations of them. Nigeria’s society only reserved kitchen and other household responsibilities as their only work station, from time immemorial.
However, some women are defying the narrative, working tirelessly to break gender barriers which have caged many dreams. But not without cost. Some of these women who work and compete with the other gender in the labor market are often deserted by men for being overambitious, leaving them single — sometimes unmarried — for a long period.
Regardless of the price society placed on their resilience, some women’s ambitions have chosen to dare the devil. One of them is Nafisat. Everyday, she wakes up at midnight to bake; during the day, she ventures into decoration business and also trains models. Though making things work out has not been easy, she said she is persevering and it is paying off for her.
“It has not been easy. I have faced numerous hurdles, beginning with being a single woman and how I succeed in what I do. Look at Hilda Baci [referring to a Nigerian woman who recently cooked for 100 hours to break a Guinness World Record for longest cooking time]. She had a dream and built confidence. She started with fear but embarking the journey with audacity birthed her success,” said Nafisat.
Like Nafisa, Shakiroh Bamidele, 21, is a public speaker, writer/poet and a gender advocate from Oyo, a town in southwest Nigeria. Shakiroh is making an impact on young girls in the country. She builds courage in young females and creates awareness on why women’s rights matter.
“I had years of pain and struggle, years I thought I wouldn’t be heard or seen. Many have seen what I do as a joke. My resilience is a success for me,” said Shakiroh.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NNBS), the employed population was 46 million: 20 million for women and 26 million for men. Informal employment was fixed at 43 million, with 18 million being women and 25 million men.
In this report, the number of unemployed Nigerians was approximated to be 23 million; with 12 million for women and 11 million for men. This shows that the males are enjoying the labor market compared to their female counterparts.
Uniting Fate with Disability
Fatima Giwa Abdulrahman, 39, is an autism parent coach who specializes in advocating for children with special needs. Mrs. Giwa, an author who resides in Cape Verde Island City of Praia, started her journey as a parent coach some eight years ago when her two-year-old son was diagnosed with autism. She started sharing her experience, using her voice to educate others about autism.
She uses social media to preach the gospel which reaches thousands of audiences on how to curtail the challenges of taking care of children diagnosed with autism.
“All we have is our stories, voices and each other as women supporting ourselves through this dark and lonely journey of parenting a child with special needs,” Fatimah said.
Gender Advocate
Despite the rise and evolution of gender justice advocacy, most Nigerian households are patriarchal, stamping their foot down on female liberation, growth and education.
Speaking with Taoheed Adegbite, a gender justice advocate, said, “I personally don’t think drawing limitations still benefit anyone in today’s world. Either to satisfy patriarchal ego or personal inferiority complex. It inflicts burdens and reduces life expectancy of men.”
Adegbite reiterated that gender equality is never a war with men and not even about women in particular but somebody must be there to ensure nobody’s rights are subjugated on the basis of unfair gender orientation.
“One thing is for society to cook stereotypes and set boundaries and bondages if I may say, another is women’s emancipation that firmly breaks barriers. Many women are making the world a better place for both genders. Many women are changing narratives and that is why we need women, so men don’t have to sacrifice themselves to protect societal norms that promote women’s rights subjugation,” he added.
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