division of labor by gender.in general, labor is divided in nigerian society along gender lines. very few women are active in the political and professional arenas. in urban areas, increasing numbers of women are becoming involved in the professional workforce, but they are greatly outnumbered by their male counterparts. women who do manage to gain professional employment rarely make it into the higher levels of management.
however, women in nigeria still play significant roles in the economy, especially in rural areas. women are often expected to earn significant portions of the family income. as a rule, men have little obligation to provide for their wives or children. therefore women have traditionally had to farm or sell homemade products in the local market to ensure that they could feed and clothe their children. the division of labor along gender lines even exists within industries. for example, the kinds of crops that women cultivate differ from those that men cultivate. in igbo society, yams are seen as men's crops, while beans and cassava are seen as women's crops.
the relative status of women and men.modern nigeria is a patriarchal society. men are dominant over women in virtually all areas. while nigeria is a signatory to the international convention on equality for women, it means little to the average nigerian woman. women still have fewer legal rights than men. according to nigeria's penal code, men have the right to beat their wives as long as they do not cause permanent physical injury. wives are often seen as little more than possessions and are subject to the rule of their husbands.
however, women can exercise influence in some areas. for example, in most ethnic groups, mothers and sisters have great say in the lives of their sons and brothers, respectively. the blood relationshipallows these women certain leeway and influence that a wife does not have.
marriage, family, and kinship
marriage.there are three types of marriage in nigeria today: religious marriage, civil marriage, and traditional marriage. a nigerian couple may decide to take part in one or all of these marriages. religious marriages, usually christian or muslim, are conducted according to the norms of the respective religious teachings and take place in a church or a mosque. christian males are allowed only one wife, while muslim men can take up to four wives. civil official weddings take place in a government registry office. men are allowed only one wife under a civil wedding, regardless of religion. traditional marriages usually are held at the wife's house and are performed according to the customs of the ethnic group involved. most ethnic groups traditionally allow more than one wife.