Empowered woman as a tool for gender equality and consumer protection in Nigeria
Our blogs highlight a range of consumer issues from different perspectives. Unless otherwise stated they do not represent the position of Consumers International.
GUEST BLOG: Professor Felicia Monye
As part of our blog series for International Women's Day, we asked inspiring women leaders from the consumer advocacy world to tell us what the day means in their country, and some of the issues for female consumers.
Professor Felicia Monye, President, Consumer Awareness Organisation, Nigeria, talks about female empowerment as a tool for greater gender equality and better consumer protection.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender Equality, is targeted at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by the year 2030. This goal is being pursued in different ways by countries with attention on areas such as child marriage, number of hours spent on unpaid and domestic work by women, participation of women in politics and number of women in high profile jobs. As regards the last issue, a report by the Secretary General of the United Nations states that while women represented 39 per cent of world employment; only 27 per cent of managerial positions in the world were occupied by women in 2018, up only marginally from 26 per cent in 2015. The implication is that the world community needs to work harder to realise the goal of gender equality.
The international picture
At the international level, women's issues have assumed a great deal of importance. The popular Beijing Meeting of 1995 which brought together participants and activists from all over the globe is still fresh in people’s memories. At the meeting and subsequent follow-up events, participants brainstormed on how to empower women to perform more prominent roles in society. Additionally, many international instruments have been adopted to achieve gender equality prominent among which being the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 which requires Member States to address discrimination against women and modify or abolish discriminatory laws, rules, regulations, customs and practices that inhibit the practical realisation of this principle.
The national picture
At the national level, some countries have enshrined gender equality in the constitution thereby giving legal backing to this principle. Using Nigeria as an illustration, apart from the provision on gender equality and equal pay for equal work in the Constitution, the country has a dedicated Ministry for women matters, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. The Department of Women and Gender Affairs is one of the key operational Departments and is charged with the responsibility of promoting women’s advancement at both National and International levels.
A cankerworm which affects women in many societies is violence – mental, physical or psychological. Countries have taken distinct actions to curb this social malaise. An important step taken by Nigeria in this regard is the enactment of Violence Against Persons Act 2015. As the name implies, the Act protects all victims of violence irrespective of gender. This gender neutrality notwithstanding, many people view the Act as being focused on women. This attitude, perhaps, can be explained on the grounds that violence is often more against women than men. The Act prohibits all forms of violence against persons in private and public life, provides remedies for victims and imposes penalties on offenders.
Inclusion of gender equality in national and international legal instruments is only but a starting point in the goal of gender equality. While global and national efforts are needed, the role of the individual female gender towards self-actualisation is a sure pathway to economic empowerment and attainment of gender equality.
Female empowerment
Women play important and diverse roles in society. Every woman irrespective of social, economic, educational or political status contributes to nation building either consciously or unconsciously. The cleaner who keeps the environment clean, the house wife who cooks and undertakes daily chores to ensure that every member of the family is well taken care of, the petty trader who travels many kilometers to acquire products for sale to city dwellers, the company executive who plans and executes policies that benefit workers and dependants, the political leader who ensures that the country is administered in a way that benefits the generality of people – all contribute in a unique way to nation building.
Undoubtedly, women are taking their rightful places in society and now serve as heads of world and national bodies, directors-general of agencies; permanent secretaries; vice-chancellors; board members of world class organisations; and a host of other exulted offices. Many women engage in industrial and commercial undertakings and are big-time employers of labour. Dr. Stella Okoli is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria with a workforce of over one thousand. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a one-time contestant for the President of the World Bank serves as a ready role model for girls aspiring to become active players in international policy and economic development. Dr. Elizabeth Odilile Ofili was the first woman president of the Association of Black Cardiologists. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a woman, Honourable Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar GCON, served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 2012 – 2014.
Anne Fransen, the first Director of Consumentenbond, a member organisation of Consumers International left an indelible mark in consumer advocacy. Melinda Gates, who has been executing incredible life-changing projects along with her husband and Chetna Sinha, Founder and President of Mann Deshi Bank, India’s first rural bank for women run by women are sterling examples of women empowerment that has bridged the gap of inequality. Many women have served or are still serving as presidents in different countries. The list is limitless.
How can society harness the position of empowered women to achieve consumer protection? This brings to mind the tripartite issues of women empowerment, gender equality and consumer protection. These issues must interface to yield the desired results. An empowered woman has what it takes to attain positions of authority and can thus serve as a tool for gender equality and consumer protection.