Our society often wears its sexism on its forehead, and more often than not, displays of prejudice against women, are so brazen that we have become immune. Most people would well ignore in but in a society as conservative and chauvinist as ours, sexism is there to see, either deeply embedded in systems or in real life examples that we often turn a blind eye to.In Nigeria, as with many countries around the world, the society operates on many stereotypes and wrongful conventions that lead us to discriminate against persons, usually women, on the basis of sex.In contemporary times, sexism can mean the factors that restrict women from positions of power in industry and government, or the wide pay gap between men and women in the same positions.ALSO READ: Do men have any right to speak about feminism?Our society often wears its sexism on its forehead though, and more often than not, displays of prejudice, usually against women, are so brazen that we have become immune to them.Here are 3 such everyday examples of real-life sexism. 1. Women and Driving:Saudi Arabia may have just considered allowing women the right to drive but Nigeria is one of the worst places for a woman to be a driver. There is an unspoken consensus among Nigerians that women cannot aptly handle the wheel and as such, the average woman has to convince those around her that she is capable of driving. When she navigates the road or is stuck in traffic like every other person is prone to, she will most likely hear a few slurs or other forms of verbal abuse, even when she is completely within her rights on the road. It is so bad that within most family units, the man is seen as the driver, and when the woman offers to fill the role, her attempts are often laughed off with a few insensitive jokes.2. Treating female bodies with entitlementThat Nigerian markets are rowdy is a given; the harassment that women face while making their way through or around them is another subject that evinces our prejudiced attitude towards women. In Yaba market, for instance, women are often grabbed and physically abused by male traders. When they protest this harassment, they are often verbally attacked, and in some instances, physically assaulted in the full view of the public.ALSO READ: Should a wife get a monthly salary from her husband?Across social media, there are many accounts by women who have faced this sort of treatment. Rather than address it, most Nigerians are comfortable ignoring these incidents or warning women to suppress themselves or ignore the abuse in such situations3. Referring to women as extensions of their spousesChimamanda Adichie’s now-infamous interview of Hillary Clinton and the question of why she described herself as “Wife” in her Twitter bio raised heavy reactions from Nigerians, both offline and on social media. The general attitude was that the question was unnecessary, which isn’t completely surprising because most married Nigerian women often have to contend with being seen as extensions of their spouses. In many ways, it is a function of tradition. ALSO READ: Chimamanda Adichie finally explains why she asked Hillary Clinton that ‘wife’ questionIn contemporary times, however, this has amplified into situations where women are expected to relegate themselves to the position of wing-man. In real-life situations, it manifests in how women are expected to take their husbands’ last names, or how they are expected to support by raising kids and keeping the home while the man does… well, manly stuff.
