In the 1930s parents put premium on the number of children they had. Hence, polygamy was the order of the day. The reason was that the more children they had, the more hands would be available to help on the farm. The only occupation then was farming. I believe this was one of the reasons why polygamy was the order of the day then.

When as a young adult, I was admitted into infant class at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti in 1937, we were 25 in number. There were only five girls amongst us and only one completed the eight years programme leading to primary six certificate.

Discrimination against women in Nigeria

The common saying was that there was no need to educate a woman because at the end of the day, she would end up in the kitchen. That was understandable because at that time, the main duty of a woman was to help the husband on the farm and cook for the family.

A new era

Since then, many changes have taken place. In ABUAD today, girls outnumber boys. Most interestingly, during convocation ceremonies those who come up with first class in all courses are women in the ratio of about nine girls to one boy. It once occurred to me that I should change the university to girls university. As a matter of fact, the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar, the Librarian are women and they are performing very well.

Since the late 19th Century, there was a movement in civilized countries to form a world organisation to fight for women’s right which today is known as International Women’s Day.

The first National Women’s Day

The origins of IWD can be traced back to the United States, where the Socialist Party of America organised the first National Woman’s Day on February 28, 1909. This event was held in New York City and was aimed at advocating for equal rights for women, including suffrage. It was a response to the growing discontent among women, particularly those working in the garment industry, who were subjected to harsh working conditions, low wages, and discrimination.

The internationalisation of Women’s Day

The idea to make the day international came from Clara Zetkin, a German socialist and advocate for women’s rights. In August 1910, at the International Socialist Women’s Conference held in Copenhagen, Zetkin proposed the establishment of an International Women’s Day. Her proposal was met with unanimous approval from the over 100 women from 17 countries present at the conference, representing unions, socialist parties, and working women’s clubs. Zetkin’s proposal did not specify a date, but the idea was to promote equal rights, including suffrage, for women worldwide.





https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/international-womens-day-celebration-by-afe-babalola/