Women’s Day: Call for review of policies on diversity, equity, inclusion.
Dr. Mrs Adeola Adeleke
Another International Women’s Day (IWD) is here again. International Women’s Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labour movement to become a recognised annual event by the United Nations (UN). This is a global event that is celebrated annually all over the world on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. It is a day to acknowledge women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and raise awareness about the challenges women and girls continue to face.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress. The focus of the theme is to examine the pathways to greater inclusion for women and girls everywhere. International Women’s Day provides a chance to evaluate and improve policies and practices affecting women’s experiences. By actively participating in International Women’s Day, companies, employers, government can demonstrate their dedication to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment where every woman and other employee has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines inclusion as the act of including someone or something as part of a group, list, or person or thing that is included. Inclusion involves actively seeking to hire, promote, and engage women in different development roles in the country they live in. Women account for almost half of the Nigerian population. Gender inclusion in all spheres of society is significant in development. History shows that women have been marginalised and their economic, social, political, and environmental potential too often goes unrealised. There are different reasons for why this is so. It can be due to family traditions, customary law, social norms, religious practices, lack of role models, and the unequal value placed on women historically.
In Nigeria today, despite making up almost half of the population, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in most industries especially political sphere. There are less than 4% of women CEOs in Nigeria. That only makes meaning if men are 20 times smarter, work 20 times harder, or are 20 times more talented than women. This is tokenism in a country where almost half of the population is female and many of the women are educated as their male counterparts. It is therefore clear that significant efforts are still required to provide equal opportunities. International Women’s Day aims to raise awareness and inspire systemic change to combat issues such as gender bias and discrimination.
Women are active participants in the economy, where they play a vital role in the agricultural industry, especially in the small-scale economy. They are visible as petty traders struggling to make ends meet. Nigerian women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and hold fewer managerial and leadership positions. Although in some states in Nigeria, women are more than fifty percent in the ministry, the majority of them are clustered in low-paid, sex-segregated dead-end jobs. Like the theme of IWD, it is time to count her In and give her a better opportunity for growth. Creating an economy that works for everyone, regardless of their gender identity will reduce the continued widening of the economic gender gap. An inclusive economy ensures that all parts of society, especially poor or socially disadvantaged groups, which are mostly women, have full, fair, and equitable access to market opportunities. This can be achieved when efforts are made to reduce poor financial stability, as a result of social discrimination in education and training.
Some Social and cultural norms are discriminatory gender norms that deem specific professions as inappropriate for women. The inequalities and biases that exist are the results of a lengthy, ongoing history of oppression and unequal decision-making power. Some of such discriminatory laws restrict women from working night duties, while some laws discourage women from pursuing manufacturing jobs, and laws that make it harder for women to work than men. In 2023, The Police Act was declared discriminatory against women. Nigerian women cannot give their husbands citizenship based on their gender. The stereotypes around women’s and men’s jobs also limit women’s opportunities in fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Although there is improved sensitivity and awareness of the impact of limiting women in job opportunities, better awareness needs to be introduced by the government at all levels. These include awareness that women and girls must be engaged to their capacity, awareness of discouraging discrimination based on gender, awareness of ensuring at least 30% women representation in all areas of governance and political engagements, and sensitising society against the negative impacts of stereotypes. By so doing, the theme “Count Her In, Invest in Women, Accelerate Growth” will be realised.
Education is the centrality for women’s empowerment and consequent gender equality. Securing improved female literacy is the primary prism of investing in women and girls towards achieving accelerated growth. Denying girls and women the same educational opportunities as boys and men perpetuates the perception of women as people of lesser value. Considering this year theme, there is a need for the government at all levels to give priority to women’s and girls’ education. The government should set targets to guarantee equal access of women, men, girls, and boys to formal and informal education and skills development opportunities through special programmes and initiatives. Over the years, the Federal government has made efforts and introduced policies to achieve parity in primary education literacy.
While women comprise at least half the population, this proportion is not matched in positions of leadership and decision-making. Improved inclusion not tokenism is required to achieve the theme of 2023 IWD.
The issue of inclusion of women in the political space continues to be a major discussion in Nigeria. Women’s inclusion and effective participation in parliament is a key indicator of an inclusive society that accepts the right of all people to contribute to the determination of their future. Women’s presence in decision-making is critical in ensuring that their particular needs, interests, and experiences are captured in the decision-making process. It is the person who wears the shoes that knows where it hurts. How is Nigeria doing in our electoral processes? Women represent less than 7% of all national parliamentarians in Nigeria. Statistics show that women’s views and perspectives are marginalized in policies of political institutions, including parliaments.
The percentage of seats held by women in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2023 speaks for itself. In 1999, 3.4%, in 2003 4.9%, 2007, 7.0 %, 2011, 6.8 %, 2015, 5.6 %, 2019, 3.1 %, and in 2023, 4.7 % representation of women. Representation of women Senators is not different; In 1999 2.8 %, 2003 2.8 %, 2007 8.3 %, 2016.4 %, 2015, and 2019 6.5 % of women representation. In 2023, both the House of Representatives and Senate have less than five (5) % women representation. Most if not all of the 36 states have less than five 5 % of women in the House of Assembly. The declining percentages of female gender in our national and state assemblies is a far cry for women’s inclusion in the political process in Nigeria. In Osun state, not a single woman is in the House of Assembly and this is the same story in most of the states in the Federation. Why are women missing at the table?
Why is this so? Where is the allowance for affirmative action? Why is Nigeria lagging in such a significant issue that relates to women’s inclusion and participation in politics and decision-making in the country? Is this dwindling number of elected women due to women not showing interest or as a result of bureaucratic issues? Considering the agitation of women to have a fair and gender-balanced parliament, President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of eight women to serve in his government did not actualise the 30 % affirmative action promised by him during his campaigns. Affirmative Action is about counting her in to be part of the administration of the society she lives. Increased and improved political inclusion of women will forge a better world and bring a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.
The latest United Nations rankings and regional distribution of women in executive positions and national parliaments as of January 1, 2023, which shows the number of women in political leadership roles, both in government and in parliament indicated that, out of 186 countries, Nigeria ranked 182. While Rwanda, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda are among the top 50. There is no doubt that more women deserve a seat at the table both at the local, State, and federal levels. There are more women in Nigeria, who, if given the opportunity will give their best to the development of the country.
Inclusion of women and girls in all spheres of society in Nigeria at all levels should be a priority for the government. Count her in: invest in women, and accelerate her progress in political empowerment, and decision-making in the country at all levels. In many states of the Federation, the positions that women occupy are insignificant. One wonders if there are no qualified women to occupy such seats and contribute effectively to the growth and development of their states. Imagine a gender-equal Nigeria. Equality does not mean sameness. It is a fair share for every gender. Imagine a Nigeria free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A Nigeria that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A Nigeria where difference is valued and celebrated. It can only be achieved when the government counts her in and invests in her talents and abilities.
Important progress has been made, but very little when compared with other African nations. As we celebrate 2024 International Women’s Day, with the theme Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate growth, this piece is calling on the government at all levels, men, and society to count her in the economic, social, and political development of her country, Nigeria. It is a call for a review of policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is a call to address any disparities that may exist at all levels of society, starting from the local government level to the federal. It is not a call for tokenism but for increased inclusion of women in every sphere of society. It is a call for the rejected women’s bills to be reconsidered. To truly attain gender equality, it is imperative to Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.
