Abiodun Minister Olofinsao

Keywords: Women empowerment, social change, gender, patriarchy

Abstract

This paper discusses how human society is microscopic, especially in
Africa where there is a sharp line of difference between the feminine and
masculine gender which shows male’s superiority and female’s subordination. Using Clenora Hudson-Weems’ Africana Womanism as the theoretical framework for analysis, the paper examined cultural restrictions to the success of the female gender, the effects of discrimination and marginalization on them which necessitates female activism and
culminates at the reproductive and productive roles of women as established in Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Sefi Atta’s Everything
Good Will Come. This work aims to unravel some untapped resources of the female gender, like women empowerment, female subjugation, and the possibility of non-violence approach, especially in the area of activism. The paper concludes by highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of women’s experiences in patriarchal societies and equally portrays the struggles of women against oppressive structures and their quest for self-discovery, empowerment and social change.

Author Biography

Abiodun Minister Olofinsao 

Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, Nigeria

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

View PDF