By Olu-Ojegbeje Lolade
Gender equality is a growing concern. More than ever, women and men are beginning to question the patriarchal order of the society. The efforts of feminists have, to a large extent, yielded results in rejecting gender roles and getting more equal opportunities for men and women. The University of Ibadan is widely regarded as an intellectual community. Thus, it should not be strange that such matters as gender equality are discussed.
A trend has been observed during elections in the university. In most cases, the presidential aspirants are men, while the women contest the position of the Vice President. This reoccurring pattern has been observed, not just at the Students’ Union level; it is the same in faculties and less rampant in departments. This, however, does not erase that fact that there are female presidents in the University. It just raises curiosity as to why women contest the position of the Vice President, in most cases.
In the recent students’ Union election, two men contested the presidential seat, while their unopposed vice was a woman. In many faculties, especially in the Faculty of Arts, the position of the Vice President is often contested by females. One would like to think that these patterns are mere coincidences. However, it does not appear so. It is a trend which might later grow into practice and maybe an unwritten constitution. A number of reasons could be attributed to this trend. Traditional gender roles, unfavourable circumstances or mediocrity on the part of these women are plausible reasons.
Traditional gender roles put women at disadvantageous positions. For long, women have been conditioned to be helpers. In many homes, girls are taught to take roles that require them helping around the house. They are patterned and taught how to be “good women” and aspire to marriage, in a way that men are not. The boys on the other hand are trained to work and look forward to being a provider. This, of course, leaves an ideological imbalance in both genders. They would later try to fit into roles, jobs and careers that they society considers “suitable” for each gender. It would not be surprising if somehow, this is the same ideology that sponsors the women contesting the positions of vice presidents. After all, in the patriarchal order of the society, the man is supposed to be the head, while the woman comes after.
It should also be understood that campaign processes come with a lot of ups and downs which may be unfavourable to women. Sometimes, in the process of campaigning, aspirants have late night meetings and sometimes have to visit halls. Female aspirants experience these differently. Temilade Aisha Oladiti, the current Vice President of the Students’ Union says that “During my campaigns, the only thing that held me back was that my hall closes by 10 p.m. so I couldn’t campaign till very late at night”. Some of them cannot visit to male halls at night, without being accompanied by a male friend.
There is also the societal discriminatory factor. In Nigeria, a woman has never been President. This is not because there are no women who can take the role; it is largely due to the disposition of the society towards it. However, University of Ibadan is an intellectual setting and students would be expected to reason differently. If a woman contested the position of the President alongside a man, what chances are there that she would win? When asked if women stand the same chance as men in their men if they contested the same position, Oladiti replies “All other positions, except the position of the President”. These reasons, therefore puts a barrier on the positions women may aspire.
One of the ladies contesting the position of the vice President in the Faculty of Arts has the same opinion. “A lady, Purpose from Linguistics, took a bold step of being Faculty of Arts President and she didn’t win. A lot of people were against her including fellow ladies. We are in a secular society where we can always try something new. But we have a lot of gender biased people. Different conversations have been arising about female vying for president… but we have more people who are against it than people who are for it.”
Mediocrity may also be considered a reason why some of these women prefer to stay in the shadows. The position of the vice president does not come with so much responsibility, as that of the President. Hence, it becomes a good place to hide. Pelumi says “It is like they believe it is only the men that can handle the stress and they believe that they are only meant to assist the men”.
This does not erase the fact that there are women who have taken up leadership positions and risen up to the challenge. Within the University, there are women who are Presidents of organizations, clubs and departments. In the faculty of Education and faculty of Science, women have been seen to contest the position of the President. However, even for these women, the challenges are there.
Georgina Omotolani Ruben, an aspirant for the position of the President in the Faculty of Education says; “I’ve encountered some challenges since I declared my intention. To some it is good, to some the position of President should be occupied by a male. People asked me why President, why not vice? So I ask them also, why not President? I see it as a challenge and as a reorientation to people that irrespective of your gender, you can achieve anything. It has not been easy because even fellow ladies say that what is she looking for? Why not settle for vice President? When people talk about my gender, I tell them it’s not about the gender but the agenda. And I still have a lot of people encouraging me”.
Conclusion
The world is changing as the people who live in it should evolve with it. Gender equality has achieved so much success and it is only expected that these results are seen thriving in intellectual communities, like the University of Ibadan. Women should take up more leadership positions, regardless of the challenges that come with it. One who wants to wear the crown must also be ready to bear the weight. Women should not shy away from responsibilities and make their voices heard. In this century, the gap between the positions that men and women occupy should not be wide. Women are also capable of much.
