INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AND THE CHALLENGES FOR THE NIGERIAN WOMEN

8^th of March every year has been set aside by the United Nations as the international women’s Day. Although the day was officially declared by the United Nations in 1977, the International Women’s Day, which was originally called International working women’s Day was first celebrated more than a century ago, precisely in 1909 in the United States and other European counties premised on the idea of promoting equal rights for women to vote and be voted for, to hold public office, and against gender stereotyping and other forms of discrimination.

          Over the years, the international women’s Day has become well recognized and it is celebrated in hundreds of countries across the globe. Every year, a theme for the celebration is chosen, in line with major challenges facing the women. The United Nation’s theme for the 2012 international women’s Day is “Empower Rural Women - End Hunger and Poverty”. Even though there is a universal theme for the celebration all over the world, the day is celebrated differently across the globe, much like the differences in the lives and challenges facing the womenfolk in various countries.

          For instance, this year, in Pakistan female family members of missing Pakistanis used the day to reiterate demands to know where their loved ones are. In Turkey, women spattered with aritifical blood protested domestic violence. In Sudan, the day meant freedom to hundreds of women and children Prisoners being released to mark the day, while Egyptian women marched to demand more significant influence in the new Egypt.

          However, the celebration of this year’s international women’s Day was low-keyed in Nigeria, not because they have fewer demands than do other women, but largely because most of the Nigerian women have become so detached from such luxuries, many of them have more serious and urgent needs to take care of, while many others are so backward that they don’t even have the slightest idea about the existence of the day, as revealed in the outcome of the various opinion polls conducted by many media outfits in Nigeria. This extremely sorry situation goes to show how critical the situation of Nigerian women has become today.

          In fact, it may not amount to an overstatement to say that the UN deliberately and carefully chose this year’s them: “Empower Rural Women - End Hunger and Poverty” in view of the critical situation of the Nigerian women. According to UN statistics, Nigerian women and girls constitute about sixty percent of the 45 million illiterates in the Country. This means that more than 27 million women and girls in Nigeria can neither read nor write. Also, according to the UN; women and girls in the developing countries constitute about 60 percent of the 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty globally. Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, but earn less than 10% of the world’s income. In almost every sphere of human endeavour, the women folk especially in Nigeria have been relegated to the background. In education, civil service, politics, business and commercial activities, the role of Nigerian women is well below that of the men.

          Ironically, no one can argue against the unrivalled status of women in any community, and their immense contribution to the social, political and economic development of any society. They are the primary caregivers for the family; they play an important role as home managers, who engage in planning, organizing, directing and coordinating all the human and material resources for the benefit of all members of the family. The women-folk have great potentials necessary to evolve a new economic order, to accelerate social and political development and consequently transform the society into a better, if only they can be empowered. But this very important segment of the society has for centuries been playing victims of undue stigmatization and discrimination, largely occasioned by the religious and traditional beliefs of Africans.

          This year’s theme: “Empower Women - End Hunger and Poverty” is not only significant but timely, especially to the Nigeria women. There is an urgent and pressing need more than ever before to address this conscious or unconscious under-representation of the women in educational, economic, social and political spheres of human life, through genuine efforts by governments, non-governmental organisations and indeed all members of the community. When women are empowered, their families become healthier, children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and income increases. So in essence, empowering women, really means ending hunger and poverty.