CHAPTER ONE
1.1. INTRODUCTION
Women empowerment is human right that lies at the heart of
development and achievement of millennium development goals. There is
sample historical evidence to indicate that, there is discrimination
against women all over the world and this is due to common belief that
women are inferior to men. Evidence abound in philosophical circle about
derogatory perception of women scholars such as Aristotle, Nietzsche,
hegel and Descartes. Most women are discriminated against in performance
of some duties not because of their inability to carry out the action
but because of their sex.
This work is set to expose and appraise the sub-ordinate
position of women in our society. In this chapter, we shall see what is
empowerment, discrimination and the different aspects to women
discrimination, such as the physiological and psychological aspects of
discrimination against women.
In chapter two, we shall discuss the place of women in the
society, such places like family, labour market and education, and we
shall also address the question that often comes to mind “Are men and
women equal?.
In chapter three, we shall discuss the implications of
women’s discrimination to the well being of the society and the
significance of women’s empowerment in our society.
The summary, conclusion and suggestion shall be finally
articulated in chapter four. This work will help us to asses the value
of women and the benefits of their empowerment to the development of the
society.
1.2 CONCEPT CLARIFICATION
1. Empowerment
According to BBC English dictionary “empowerment is when
someone is empowered to do something or given authority or power to do
something”. Again is defined as to give somebody the power or authority
to act. It is having more control over their life or more power to do
something. It also means to give authority or power to authorize, give
strength and confidence to. It is the legal roght to do something.
Empowerment is having authority, confidence and the strength to do
something.
Empowerments in relation to women is the ability of women to
control and direct things which affect them. It is the provision of
adequate opportunity to women to development potential and contribute to
the development of the nations in particular and to the world in
general. It is the provision of conducive environment and the
opportunities to women to contribute their quota to the social,
political and economic development of a nation it is the capacity to
mobilize resources to produce beneficial social changes. Women
empowerment therefore authority and power to act as their male counter
parts do.
2. Discrimination
Oxford English Dictionary defines discrimination “as a
recognize distinction between people and things or treat one person or
group worse or better than others.”2 It is unfair treatment people
because of their religion, race or other personal feature. It is the
practical of treating one person or group of people less family or less
well than other people or group. It also means a recognition and
understanding of the difference between one thing and another or good
judgment or taste. Discrimination is a sociological term of referring to
the treatment taken toward or against a person of a certain group in
consideration based solely on class or category. Discrimination is the
actual behaviour towards another group from opportunities that are
available to other group. It involves excluding and restriction on
members of one group or rejection. It is the ability or power to see or
make fine distinction, discernment. It is a treatments or consideration
based on class or category rather than individual merit. It refers to
any instance of treating someone in a less favourable manner on the
basis of that person’s characteristics.
Discrimination is not only one sided thing women discriminate
against women, men against men, women against men, men against women.
In the course of this work, wish to discuss discrimination
against women. Women has been discriminated against in so many ways,
almost in every aspect of their lives. Though there skill exist
discrimination among women, women discriminate themselves. There are
some instances that it is the women tat does not want to give way to her
fellow woman. Some stereotyped women believe that their place is I the
kitchen and not the public sector. But we are going to discuss
discrimination against women by their male counter part, at the level of
culture, politics religion, economic and education.
Sex discrimination refers to the deferential treatment of
women and men on the basis of their categorical membership, gender
without consideration of individual differences in terms of ability
competence, inclination and commitment. Women occupy the inferior
positions and regarded as the weaker sex. They are the ones who receive
the lesser (or no) are of the valued societal good. Aristotle as a
philosopher saw women as naturally weak and licentious. To him women are
“unfinished men.”3 from early childhood women learn that the world of
individual achievement is closed to them and that their primary vocation
is to please and serve men. In our society men are allowed, encouraged,
to be daring to reach out and accomplish a project. Men are supposed to
be rational, inventive and creative, but less is expected of women.
Women are always under the control of men, either directly or
indirectly. Their discrimination starts from the family. They are
expected to be dependent on the male folks and do as they are commanded
or ordered to do so this they called “ the act of been submissive”. They
are regarded as the second class citizens. Convention on the
elimination of all forms of discrimination against women defines
discrimination “as they distinction, exclusion or restriction made on
the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or mulling
the recognition, enjoyment or exercise? Women are discriminated through
the following ways.
A) Culture
Culturally speaking, women have been discriminated against.
Men are considered naturally more analytic, aggressive and interested in
success while women are considered as nurturing, compassionate better
at child bearing and care worse at exciting decision making. In our
culture women are treated as the second sex. Men behave as if they are
the subjects, treating women as the objects, thus disproving them of the
responsibility for their own life for example the T.V cultural in
Nigeria permits men to offer their wives as entertains to their
visitors. According to Dobkin “natural derived women choice and make
them to attend the interest of others, husbands, parents and lads in
place of their own”.4 culture demands women to marry on time,
otherwise, she would find it hard to get married at a later data. I came
to a conclusion that culturally or otherwise girls are considered as
milk once split, it cannot be picked up. They are not expected to choose
their mate. Culturally women are considered desirably by men or sex and
child bearing.
B) Religion
Most religions either directly or indirectly discriminates
against women or support their discrimination. Christianity and some
other religions believe that women should be submissive to men. In Gen
3:16b 1 quote “----- and they desire shall be to thy husband, and he
shall over thee”.5 women are excluded from the position of priesthood in
the Christendom, as well as the Muslims. Women are more in number yet
most discriminated against. In water town church Rev. D. Timothy Labouf
dismissed Mary Lambert as a Sunday school teacher for an adult class
after she’s been on the job for over 50 years, making reference to
2timothy 2:11 and 12.
Women are expected to learn in quietness and full submission.
Woman are not expected to each or have authority over a man, she must
be silent. According to Aristotle women are unfinished men.
c) Political
Women have skill, potentials, intelligent, brilliant, smart
but why is t that up till now they are not fully given, if at all, women
are expected to go to minor position and not major ones like the
position of president and the vice-president. They are seen as inferior
to men and regarded as second class citizen and should be subordinate to
men. They should nor seek for tops in political level because they
would not even be considered. They are alleged that thus has to do with
patriarchal hierarchies in society. Politically women are sublime in
budgetary consideration and participation in matters of self interest.
In united states of American, only three women have served as
their governors. And in Nigeria a women was made Governor for three
months. None has become the presidents or the vice- president. They are
excluded to some extent from political offices.
D) Economic
Most women are now educated not like the ancient times where
women were not regarded as people who should be educated. But skill
educated women are advised and convinced to stay in their place because
they are expected to work in women’s jobs and one wonders if really men
and women always do different works. But what causes job segregation
today? Is it that women are not seen as men capable in doing the jobs
regarded as men’s job?.
At working place, women are sexually harassed. An
organization arose to fight against all forms of discriminating acts,
with the aim to liberate women from the stereotyped roles which they
have been wicked into and prevents their development for example the
CEDAW (convention on the elimination of all forms of disc rumination
against women. Economically women are poor; through women have also
contributed indirectly to increase in productivity and long run economic
growth through unpaid work, both at home raising children and in their
communities. Women are not given greater economic opportunities. Women
are regarded as not economically capable to produce goods. More so, they
lack capital. This is evident in the men’s domination of virtually
every sector of the country’s economy like the import and export,
industrial, transport, agricultural and commercial sector. The effect is
that women participation in public affairs is drastically reduced
because they do not possesses the material base for political and
socio-economic self-assertiveness6.
1.3 Different Aspect to Women Discrimination
1. Physiology
Women has been discriminated against because of their
physical nature. They are regarded as been physically weaker than men,
women’s destiny is said to be rooted in their physical nature or can be
traced to biology. The characteristics of women is used against her for
example in Oragite in Anambra state, where i come from, a woman is not
allow to climb a pal or tree because of her bodily features or
characteristics. Women’s physical nature makes them to look less perfect
in the eyes of their male counter parts. According to Aristotle, he
believed that women are colder than men and thus less perfect and
therefore like infertile men. Women are regarded to be in virtue of a
particular inability.
2) Psychology
Women are discriminated physiologically. The mental characteristics or attitude of a women is said to be irrational.
According to Aristotle; woman is more compassionate than man.
More easily moved to tears, while at the same time being more jealous,
more querulous, more apt to sold and to strike. She is more prone to
despondency and less hopeful than the man, more void of shame or
self-respect, more false of speech, more deceptive and more retentive
memory7. Women are regarded as the non- thinking being