Closing the gender gap – Blueprint Newspapers Limited

The issue of our female gender has, again, come to the front-burner, as the President of the Nigerian Association of University Women (NAUW), Prof. Comfort Onifade, has reiterated that tackling the global gender gap to encourage inclusivity has been found to be capable of boosting global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). She said this in her welcome address during the NAUW Hybrid International Conference with the theme: ‘Gender Inclusivity and Sustainable Development’, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. 

According to her, Mckinsey Global Institute (MGI) in 2022 mapped out 15 indicators of gender equality under work and society, adding that gender equality in society and work are correlated based on MGI’s analysis of 125 countries. Prof. Onifade said while women in advanced economies made large gains as workers, consumers and savers, they are faced with rising cost and insecurity, saying gender gap remain across all regions. 

She added that any society, organisation or company “where gender diversity exists has the higher chances of growth”. In her keynote address, the Deputy Director, African Women  in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), Kenya, Dr. Michele Mbo’o-Tchouawou said social inclusions  matter in the quest for sustainable agricultural development in Africa and the world at large. She explained that some of the inequalities “are to some large extent as a result of distinctive social lines with cultural patterns and people’s negligence to take into cognisance how they affect and continue to affect their socio-economic development in diverse ways”.

Mbo’o-Tchouawou said until recently, these had significantly undermined the potential gains from reducing gender gap in agricultural system, but she suggested that by systematically taking the necessary actions for more inclusion, and participation would lead to increased empowerment and fulfilled objectives. In her lead paper presentation, the President, Graduate Women International (GWI), Switzerland, Dr. Patrice Wellesley-Cole, said the conference was timely as it coincided with the World International Day of the Girl-Child, as they recognised the challenges faced by the girl-child around the world. Dr. Wellesley-Cole stressed the need for a policy tagged (DEI), Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity, saying such policy would provide opportunity of full participation for everyone and ensure equal access to people, who have been marginalised, underrepresented or subjected to discrimination. 

In a similar development, a public speaker, Hon. Ayo Mayami has disclosed that sex-for-marks is one of the strong factors that have contributed immensely to the declining standard of education in the country. Mayami, who stated this in Abeokuta, had described education as a process of acquiring skills and knowledge, adding that “sex-for-marks is a system of running away from one’s responsibility.”

He noted that sex for marks hadal become endemic in the education system, saying that the menace is more peculiar to African countries due to the decline of societal norms and values. ”It is not limited to only academically-weak students, both the weak and the sound students are involved”, he said. He revealed that there are some agencies saddled with the responsibility of orientation, teaching and informing the populace, adding that school authorities should partner with such agencies, to put an end to the menace in the nation’s citadels of learning.

Hon. Mayami, however, reiterated that a committee should be constituted and be backed by law, noting that such committee should be saddled with the responsibility of investigating any sex-for-marks issue brought before it while proper punishment should be meted out to anyone found guilty, saying this would serve as a deterrent to others. “There should be proper implementation of policy and every student that wants to gain entrance into the campus should be properly checked. Anyone caught with indecent dressing should be sent back home”, he added. From the messages of Prof. Onifade and Hon. Mayami, this relevance of this year’s celebration of the International Day for Rural Women, is apt.

The United Nations has been instrumental in promoting the rights and well-being of rural women while its various agencies and organisations collaborate to support rural women’s economic and social empowerment. The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres had made a case for the transformation of our food systems to ensure that all people have access to healthy diets that contribute to the restoration of nature, address climate change, and are adapted to local circumstances. He said, “Across the world, food systems depend on the daily work of rural women. They play a variety of essential roles, from raising crops and processing their harvest, to preparing food and distributing their products, ensuring that both their families and communities are nourished”.

The 2023 International Day of Rural Women, which is a day dedicated to recognising and celebrating the vital role that rural women play in their communities and societies. The history of this day is rooted in the efforts to promote gender equality, women’s rights, and rural development. The theme for this year was, “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”, which showcased the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world. Hence, the need to close the gender gap is something that should be accorded all the attention that is required.