Women in Modern Nigeria

Abbey, Violet, and Maddy

Women in Nigeria have been constantly evolving for as long as society remembers. There was a precolonial period where the women had typical “household” roles, such as pottery, cleaning, mat weaving, and cooking. As in many societies, the men had most if not all the power: politically, domestically, and socially. “The most powerful agency of change for the modern woman has been Nigeria’s formal education system, from which a large number of elite women have emerged. Intelligent, educated, and confident, they can be found in all leading occupations; they now challenge many aspects of patriarchy and are gradually organizing to ensure that the political arena expands sufficiently to accommodate them"  

“The traditional and Islamic systems of polygamy flourish within every social class. Women expect very little from men in terms of companionship, personal care, and fidelity.” Women's marriage in Nigeria is strictly based off of social class, there are no emotional factors in it. We find this very unfair because women should be able to marry whoever the wish to not depending on their social class. Both women and men should have equal rights to marry who they please to. In Nigeria having a baby is a big responsibility, abortion is still illegal in nigeria. Women don't like this idea, most men don't mind abortions being illegal.

A First Hand Experience taken from;

“Eunice Eze is a 25-year old Nigerian woman who has recently emerged from a one-year mourning period after her husbandâs death. What is known as the Widowhood Practice in Igbo Land has more to do with proving a wifeâs innocence in the death of her husband than actually mourning his death. Eunice, like other widows in Nigeria, was taken out of her house upon her husbandâs death. Her head was shaved, she was kept in one room in the familyâs compound for a whole year. Eunice was not allowed to leave the family compound, change her clothes, use soap for showering, or cut or comb her hair. She spent the year in a corner of a room that was a dirt floor. Eunice survived the Widowhood Practice even with tuberculosis. Says Eunice, ãIt was so painful to go through the mourning period. I could not go out of the house. I could not attend any festival or congregation. I suffered from many sleepless nights. I was so depressed. Many times I was in shock and disillusioned· not able to distinguish dreams from realityä. After she emerged from one year of confinement all of her belongings were gone, even the table she had in the market where she sold fruits and vegetables. Eunice has had to take her 12-year old daughter out of school because she cannot afford the school fees and she needs her daughters help in working on the farm and helping to raise the other four children. Euniceâs daughter will likely suffer the same fate as her mother.”

This experience relates to Purple Hibiscus because the family is from the Igbo tribe. You can see the external circumstances Kambli was facing throughout the book. This was on top of what she was facing inside her house with her father. Modern women are simply not on the same level in Nigeria as women in America. Most Modern women in america have a lot more choices and opportunities than women in Nigeria today.
https://www.google.com/search?q=modern+women+in+nigeria&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG_tCUmq_NAhUIKiYKHXBuAc4Q_AUICCgB&biw=1280&bih=873#imgrc=LT2SIWTjvARm-M%3A
http://www.postcolonialweb.org/nigeria/contwomen.html