GENDER INEQUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICA: A SOCIO-RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Gender issues in our contemporary African culture have been in existence. The socio-religious and cultural effects of patriarchy on contemporary African Women (South Eastern Nigeria as a scope of the study) have been in existence. Women have been marginalized from the cultural, political, socio-economic and religious dimensions of African society. This paper discovered that gender issue starts from the family. In the family, a male child is being celebrated and handled as being precious and tender over the girl child. The male child is groomed in such a way that he has domineering power over the girl child. This domineering power of male over female make our females depend more on men without thinking and finding a way of developing themselves. However, in our contemporary culture, family and friends make mockery of a man who has only female children, even the female children are being deprived of sharing
in their father’s inheritance/property. The recent government approval of right for females to share in their family inheritance, is not working in most areas in Africa, especially in the remote areas. This research discovered that lack of inadequate education, information and religious belief promotes gender disparity in Africa which greatly affects women. This research recommended that women be empowered, enlightened and handle with care as with their male counterpart.