If
you have ever brainstormed on ways through which Nigerian women can
size up and become financially independent, then this is what you should
be going through.
File photo used only for illustrative purpose
How can women in Nigeria become economically empowered and
contribute to the development of the country? A panel of experts have
shared their thoughts. Read below;
1 | Break gender norms in childhood
It’s important to implement gender sensitisation through education
as early as primary school. Trying to bring about a change in mindset
about what roles are “traditionally” for women (such as care work) is
crucial to creating a more open and accepting society. Fiza Farhan, global strategic development advisor, Lahore, Pakistan @Fiza_Farhan
2 | Work with religious and traditional leaders
For most parts of northern Nigeria, some discriminatory norms can
be tackled by the involvement of religious and traditional leaders.
After sensitisation and behaviour change, a man would not restrict his
wife’s or daughter’s involvement in any economic activity. Titus Orngu, gender technical adviser (Women Peace & Security Programme), UN Women, Yola-Adamawa, Nigeria
3 | Encourage employers to hire inclusively
We must create awareness about the potential of women in the
workplace. When it comes to supporting lower-income women who may not
have high levels of formal education, it’s important to help employers
realise the value of competency over credentials. Let’s encourage
employers to look beyond a CV (which is merely a proxy for the skills
they want to hire) and instead focus on the competencies our youth
posses (both men and women). This will lead to more inclusive hiring
practices. Noella Moshi, programmes lead, WAVE Academies, Lagos, Nigeria
4 | Pass a gender equality law
Legislation – such the gender and equal opportunities bill (GEOB) –
would go a long way in addressing some of the discrimination that women
face. It would adddress the issues of inheritance rights and
property/land ownership.
One of the reasons the GEOB was represented at the National
Assembly was because of pressure from influential women and groups.
Though the bill was previously thrown out, the lawmakers said that it
could be presented again. Elections will soon be here and no one would
like to test the power of women voters. The majority of women in Nigeria
– including those in the Boko Haram-ravaged north-east – stood in the
sun, rain and in the face of attacks to vote. Titus Orngu
5 | Get women access to capital
Women run 30% of all registered businesses worldwide, yet only 10%
of women entrepreneurs have access to the capital they need to grow.
Partnerships are crucial: mobilising the skills and resources of public
and private sectors creates a bigger impact than working in isolation.
For example, for our Road to Growth project, we involved a bank in
designing our training curriculum on financial literacy, and also
organised events with the bank and the women entrepreneurs to build
relationships.
It’s not enough to simply teach women about financial literacy;
financial service providers must also offer the right kinds of products
and services. And of course the right legislation is critical for women
to have land rights, collaterals and access to loans. Annabel Azim, enterprise development programme director, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, London, UK
6 | Recognise informal workers
Most of the world’s poor, especially in developing countries, are
working, and of the estimated 630 million working poor, the majority are
women. The primary challenge is that most of those cannot work their
way out of poverty because most earn their living in the informal
economy where average earnings are low while costs and risks are high.
In Nigeria, the value of the informal economy has been estimated at
7.615tn naira ($48.2bn). And yet the activities – the livelihoods – of
these workers remain almost entirely unrecognised, valued or taken into
account in urban planning or local economic development. If urban
poverty, inequality and unemployment are to be reduced, urban informal
workers, especially the working poor, need to be recognised, valued and
supported as economic agents who contribute to the economy and to
society. Victoria Okoye, urban advocacy specialist, Wiego, Accra, Ghana
7 | Make travel safer for women
We need to integrate women more effectively through infrastructure.
For instance, our Nigerian Infrastructure Advisory Facility has
connected millions of women to employment: an estimated 550,000 trips
have been taken by women, facilitated through these improved transport
networks. The GEMS3 programme identified that women are less likely than
men to travel when challenges such as bad roads prevent them from doing
so. Removing obstacles to travel will have a disproportionately
favourable impact on women. Adanma Abalunam, project manager on the
Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3) programme, Adam Smith International, Abuja, Nigeria
8 | End violence against women at home and work
I did research last year on masculinities, conflict and violence in
Nigeria [pdf] that found that women’s difficulties within the home
increase as their earning power grows, particularly if they earn more
than men. At the same time, we also need to look at violence women
experience in the workplace. Most women in Nigeria I know who have set
up their own business or work for a company or organisation have
experienced sexual harassment. This has a detrimental impact on women’s
wellbeing at work as well as their motivation.
In some cases, men often will not allow daughters, wives or sisters
to work outside the home (although many still engaged in home-based
businesses) “for their own protection” and to guard against this
violence. Chitra Nagarajan, activist and writer, Maiduguri, Nigeria @chitranagarajan
9 | Teach boys to respect women
There’s a long-term role that parents must play in raising our sons
better. I grew up believing many things to be true that I have now
found to be unfavourable to the development of women and opportunities.
My son, and every boy in his generation, must be educated about equality
and that it is the role of any human to support another, as men must
women. Gbenga Sesan, executive director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria @gbengasesan
10 | Use emergencies as opportunities
In emergency situations, individuals often turn to opportunities
for immediate economic relief where dependents have no alternative but
to “allow” women to enter the labour force. So while this may not
necessarily lay the foundation for long-term change in society,
organisations and the civil society need to use this situation to their
advantage. Providing short vocational training for women to improve
their skills and make them more favourable for employment will empower
them. The government would need to implement policies and task forces to
ensure that economic progress is not halted when these women return to
their communities. Fiza Farhan
11 | Look at wider inequality in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the gap between the rich and poor is massive and has
been growing. This can be seen by the fact that even when GDP was
growing, youth employment was falling. We need to look at women’s
economic empowerment, but we also need to look at economic inequality in
Nigeria in general. We need to move away from a system of kleptocratic
politicians and officials as well as rampant capitalism and its models
of growth that have harmed so many women and girls and exacerbated
economic inequality. We need a model of economic development and growth
that is much more socially and environmentally conscious and focuses on
ensuring the whole of society, not just the wealthy few, benefit from
economic growth. Chitra Nagarajan
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- The Guardian UK
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