Against the backdrop of the challenges confronting the female gender on participation in the socio-economic development of the country, a professor of Educational Technology, Comfort Ekpo, has said that the improvement of the literacy level of girls is the best solution.
She explained that this measure would help the girl-child to realise her potential, adding that it would further enhance gender equality.
According to Ekpo, this has become necessary because literacy is a significant tool for evacuating poverty, enlarging employment opportunities as well as promoting democratic participation in governance, which would help the female gender to play its role significantly.
She disclosed this while delivering the lead paper at a Career and Professional Women Conference, which had the theme, “Beyond the Glass Ceiling,’’ organised by the African Leadership Development Centre, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.
The university don also disclosed that despite the fact that women constituted a larger section of the population, gender discrimination across sectors had become a major hindrance to women participation.
“That is why women must work harder since no man will give up his position. Let us catch our children while they are still young, let us provide equal opportunities among our children, especially by inculcating self-confidence in our daughters and let them be aware that they are women and they must do unusual things to succeed,” she said.
Ekpo, who is also a former vice-chancellor, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, added that it had become imperative for parents to teach both male and female children mutual respect, adding that this would go a long way in helping the female child to contribute her quota to societal well-being.
She, however, said for more women to advance in any career, there was the need for more female mentors, who would navigate the way they would need to take to achieve greatness.
“Let us as role models and mentors protect the younger ladies in our different communities. Let the women who have scaled the glass ceiling look down the ladder to encourage the younger ones to come up,” she said.
The Chairperson, Women in Management, Business and Public Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, in her keynote address, said women could achieve success in a male-dominant society by “stepping up to a task, seeking stretch assignment, staying ahead of machines as well as speaking up on policy formation, which might affect the way they work.”
“Also, get a mentor or mentor others, support other women, choose to work for a company that has responsive family policies and above all, be aware of office politics, but don’t join in,” she advised women.
The Director, ALDC, Prof. Aize Obayan, in her remarks, urged participants to look beyond where they had got to now and identify the height they wanted to get to “and then sit down and put all the strategies together, which must be intentional to achieve greater heights.”
She urged women not to look at challenges, but how they would use and enhance their strength, rather than the challenges.
