Igbo Women

When learning about a society on a larger scale, it is important to take a step back and look at the history and the personal stories to better understand how the hardships experienced led the community to where they are today. From the early 1900s to the late 1900s, women residing in Nigerian societies struggled with female empowerment because men were deemed as superior. Although equality was not always implemented, Nigeria introduced the principle of equality in the Declaration of Independence. It is stated that “every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law” (Nwaubani). Even though this is an official document, these words did not change how society viewed women. Often, if women had financial
In Nigerian societies, gender roles were distinctive because of the traditional framework. In the fictional book, Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie outlines the lives of two Igbo natives during the 1960s and 70s. Olanna and Kainene are sisters with opposite personality traits. When women in the Igbo society were financially secure, they lived through gender inequality somewhat differently. They had the potential to battle through various struggles by playing multiple roles. When given the chance, women could perform some roles that might have been traditionally for the opposite gender. While the war was going on, Olanna takes on the role to protect her family while Odenigbo remains completely useless. In several situations, Olanna and her sister forget how their class status influences their life choices. In Olanna’s case, she is committed to Odenigbo and after his betrayal, she becomes depressed. Olanna’s happiness “must never behave as if her life belongs to a man. Her life belongs to her and her alone” (Adichie). Olanna is simply following the gender inequalities by putting others first, especially males, and sets aside her
Her partner, Odenigbo, has always represented the traditional male role in society by presenting himself as superior. Olanna’s personal influences represent the power women ultimately had even with gender inequality. Olanna and Kainene were given the opportunity to become educated whereas Ewumi’s family had to decide as to who deserved an education in their family. Before Ewumi reaches the age of nineteen, she already is married and has conceived a child. On the other hand, Olanna did not want to marry a man because she was granted the choice. For Ewumi, in her society, it was expected to marry and have many children before she aged any further. Olanna’s class provided her with independence and choice. In Nigerian societies, men and women were regarded in different lights which affected people’s lifestyle and quality of