By EIsmaila Biliaminu Manne
As Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, grapples with its worst economic downturn in decades, women are walking into roles ordinarily reserved for men across the country.
Interestingly, female students at tertiary institutions are not left out of this trend.
Female barber and initial resistance
Rukayat Afuwape, a 400-Level Biochemistry student at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Ilorin, Kwara State, chose the path of barbing, one of the male-dominated occupations in Africa. But at the initial stage of making her dreams a reality, she faced rejection, as many customers deemed her incapable.
She faced resistance from her sisters, all in traditionally feminine professions, but wanted to break the hold.
When customers, both male and female, questioned her abilities, she was discouraged from pursuing her dream. Some men feared she’d ‘spoil’ their hair, clinging to the belief that ‘girls don’t touch heads’.
“When I used to work at the salon, sometimes when customers walk in and they are directed to me, immediately they see I’m a girl, some will say they want another barber and choose a guy,” she said.
This prejudice ultimately led her to work independently, where she could choose her clients.
On how she later made it, Afuwape said: “My customers are my motivation, because most of them are good to me, especially when they find out I do a good job they always come back and even bring their friends.If you are very good, it doesn’t even feel like you are working anymore. You just enjoy the art of it.”
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From buying and selling to producing
Abdulazeez Rahmat, an indigene of Ilorin, ventured into shoemaking. The final-year student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), said: “ I started by buying and selling through my social media account. Customers do turn up and even refer me to their friends and relatives. The huge turn-up and referrals were because the majority of the customers thought I made the Footwear myself.
“Receiving a lot of comments and admiration from customers like ‘Wow! a female making shoes?’ I felt this was trying to pass a message to me that I needed to step up my game and learn shoemaking,” she said.
She started shoemaking in 2022 and the love she has for ‘Nigerian products and creativity’ made her take the step. “Whenever I pass through a shoemaking workshop, I find myself staring and most times lost in thought,” she said.
But her journey in shoemaking wasn’t easy. She was discouraged by relatives and customers. The first hurdle? She was verbally attacked by her relatives.
“A relative of mine asked in front of the other members that she heard I was learning a skill, and what skill? I said it’s shoe-making. She flared up and imagined what a lady like me was looking for in shoemaking. That is, what happened to tailoring and other work? Don’t you see what your cousins are into? She said angrily. I felt so embarrassed,” she said.
Often, many customers distrust her capability with the belief that this work [Shoemaking] is meant for men.
“They think I can’t craft shoes to their taste like a man would do it. I feel discouraged many times and would sometimes feel like I’d better leave the work for men,” she added.
But Rahmat remains undeterred.
Her words: “Whenever I hear the statement ‘a female shoemaker, how come, this is rare’. My head swells up and my motivation rises greatly,” she added.
Also, Aremu Oluwaseun, a radio technician and 300-Level student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, learned the trade from her father. However, when customers sought her father’s expertise in his absence, they often went elsewhere. This initial discouragement fueled her determination. “Most men think I shouldn’t be doing this work as a female,” she stated. Despite the bias, Oluwaseun finds joy in her work and aims to change the perception of female technicians.
She also advised other females not to listen to what people are saying about their choice of work. “They should also improve in their chosen niche,” she said.
Gender bias persists despite efforts of women
A recent report by the United Nations’ Gender Social Norms Index or GSNI reveals a disheartening truth: there has been virtually no improvement in gender bias over the past decade. The report indicates that nearly 90 per cent of men and women worldwide still hold unconscious biases against women. These biases manifest in various ways, with half the global population believing men are better political leaders and business executives than women. The report also found a shocking statistic: a quarter of the world’s population believes it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife.
The GSNI report further highlights the disconnect between women’s educational advancements and economic opportunities. Women are demonstrably more educated than ever before, yet even in countries where women hold the higher education edge, the gender pay gap remains a staggering 39 per cent in favour of men.
A gender justice advocate and member of the youth advisory board with the European Union Delegation in Nigeria,Taoheed Adegbite, believes that there is no profession where both the male and female genders cannot strive.
“I don’t think there’s any profession both genders can’t do and thrive in. The problem lies with us as a society and the insecurity around patriarchy, which has, for a long time, considered women to be a weaker sex, therefore subjugating them to a certain role as petty trading,” she said.
“In fact, in most cases, women in so-called non-traditional roles are labelled recalcitrants or non-Africans. This kind of stereotype is a pushback to many ambitious women who would have made waves in different industries,” he said.
While the Nigerian Constitution provides for gender equality and non-discrimination, women continue to suffer injustices and marginalisation in all endeavour. This is often the result of discriminatory laws, religious and cultural norms, gender stereotypes, low levels of education, and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women.
Despite these barriers, some individual women have pushed through to breaking these norms, walking in male-dominated works in Nigeria, often to great acclaim and the benefit of society at large.
Stereotypes unfair, discouraging
Ruth Shilo, a Gender Policy Maker and Advocate of Global Ambassadors, said: “Equality in the real sense is both genders (male and female) having the same access to opportunities including educational, vocational, and all aspects of life. The earlier we stop seeing gender equality as women fighting men, the sooner we have the earth space we desire.
“Sadly, we have succeeded in grouping fields/professions into male and female when in the real sense it wasn’t designed so. I understand that females might not have the body energy to carry out some of the tedious work like the mechanic requires. However, I believe anything and everything is learnable: therefore, it is so unfair to have stereotypes in our world,” she said.
Shilo said some females have decided to break the bias and join the so-called “male’ profession.
Her words: “The question is are they (the females) proving otherwise? Yes. Are the females inventing? Yes. Are the females helping in providing lasting solutions to the world’s endless problems? Yes. I think so highly of females who have decided to venture into the “male” dominated space.
“When I was in my third year in school, I had to work to fund my education. Unfortunately, my colleagues were so much of a discouragement because I was the youngest and a female. Discrimination is one of the valid tools used by either people or even nature to test one’s real purpose. The ability to withstand any form of discouragement, and produce evidence-based results is the reflection of anti-fragility.”
Juggling academics and occupation
Juggling academic activities and other things can be daunting. However, Afuwape works with appointments.
“I get to create time for school, all thanks to my understanding customers. I get urgent calls from my customers and when there is nothing much going on in school, I go to my customers. And, if I also have important things to do in school, I just cancel some appointments just to free up time and go to school,” she said.
Like Afuwape, Oluwaseun has a similar strategy.
“When it’s time for academics, I focus on it. When there’s work, I create time for it in the evening. It has been convenient so far,” the radio technician affirmed.
