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By Moronke Ogundele
James Ogundele came to the United States to go to college and to start a family. Coming from Nigeria in his late twenties, he settled in Morgantown, WV, where he attended school and where three of his children were born. Soon after he finished school, this family, my family, moved to Corning, NY, where a fourth child, another girl, joined me and my two older brothers to form my current immediate family. Throughout my childhood my parents enfolded us with the Nigerian culture. They always felt, and still feel, the importance of our holding a connection to our roots. Though my siblings and I never learned the native tongue, we ate the foods, heard the music, and owned some of the clothing. Our parents raised us as Nigerians as much as they could. They made sure that though we were born and raised in America, we were Nigerian by nature and nurture. However, with our being born in America, my siblings and I were often faced with culture clashes between what we experienced inside versus outside of the home. One of the primary differences between Nigeria and the United States is the general treatment of women. In both cultures women are seen as inferior. However, how this ‘inferior’ status translates into action is what differs. In Nigeria being a woman does not mean being without respect. In general, the idea of respecting elders plays a very strong part in this culture, and thus mother and aunts are often held in higher regard than in America. The idea that a mother or aunt may not have an education or may not work does not make her less important. On the other hand, in America, women who stay in the home, “housewives,” are frequently seen as second class. This is mostly due to the fact that in the American culture, value in a family is awarded to those who provide the financial income, and is withheld from those who keep it together, as a housewife would. The hard work done at home does not translate into importance because this work is not bringing in income.Despite the fact that women in Nigeria may seem to be more highly regarded in general than American women, one factor that sets the two groups apart is education. Currently my life has being focused on my education, but would it have been if I had lived in Nigeria? In general, before addressing any gender discrepancies, it is important to realize that in general Nigeria is lacking in quality of education and availability of it. Though there are many agencies within Nigeria working to increase the access to and quality of education for all, there has been little change. Despite this, the numbers for the ratio of gender attendance in the United States and Nigeria are reversed. In America, the number of females is beginning to overtake the number of males who attend colleges and universities. This movement is bringing more women into the workforce than ever before, and is countering past trends. Nigeria’s situation is much different, and the numbers of females in higher education is minuscule at best. According to UNICEF, of all women in the country, a mere 56 percent of females are able to read. The main cause for this discrepancy is due to women marrying at an early age, which often goes hand in hand with teen pregnancy. This keeps females from excelling in education and thus from excelling in the workforce. It seems clear that I am reaping the benefits of having grown up in the United States. In general, people in the United States benefit from the availability and quality of education that they are presented with. However, despite higher numbers of women in higher education, the business world is still predominantly a boys club, keeping women from embracing and enjoying the educational gains they have made, and this is one fact that I am being faced with now. The glass ceiling in effect remains un-cracked in the United States despite the fact that it is getting less publicity. Women still trail men in the number of CEOs, Presidents, and other top employees due to gender biases, and now more than ever, with the fact that more women attend higher education institutes at a higher rate than men, it is clear that the bias and discrimination persists. However, the gap is narrower than it has been in years, prompting many women to keep working hard. It is important for me and many other females of Nigerian descent in the United States to realize how different the lives we’ve lead in United States would be compared to what we’d face in Nigeria. I wonder, ‘Would I be in college now, looking to work as a Physical Therapist if I lived in Nigeria?’ When having this realization, it seems more important now than ever before to embrace the fact that I am working to bring pride to not only myself, but to my country because I know that I am, at heart, a Nigerian. In essence, I am having the realization that I must use the benefits of living in the United States and translate them to benefits for my home country of Nigeria. By overcoming gender inequalities in the United States, I hope to be able see women in Nigeria do the same and close the gap created by these disparities.
James Ogundele came to the United States to go to college and to start a family. Coming from Nigeria in his late twenties, he settled in Morgantown, WV, where he attended school and where three of his children were born. Soon after he finished school, this family, my family, moved to Corning, NY, where a fourth child, another girl, joined me and my two older brothers to form my current immediate family. Throughout my childhood my parents enfolded us with the Nigerian culture. They always felt, and still feel, the importance of our holding a connection to our roots. Though my siblings and I never learned the native tongue, we ate the foods, heard the music, and owned some of the clothing. Our parents raised us as Nigerians as much as they could. They made sure that though we were born and raised in America, we were Nigerian by nature and nurture. However, with our being born in America, my siblings and I were often faced with culture clashes between what we experienced inside versus outside of the home. One of the primary differences between Nigeria and the United States is the general treatment of women. In both cultures women are seen as inferior. However, how this ‘inferior’ status translates into action is what differs. In Nigeria being a woman does not mean being without respect. In general, the idea of respecting elders plays a very strong part in this culture, and thus mother and aunts are often held in higher regard than in America. The idea that a mother or aunt may not have an education or may not work does not make her less important. On the other hand, in America, women who stay in the home, “housewives,” are frequently seen as second class. This is mostly due to the fact that in the American culture, value in a family is awarded to those who provide the financial income, and is withheld from those who keep it together, as a housewife would. The hard work done at home does not translate into importance because this work is not bringing in income.Despite the fact that women in Nigeria may seem to be more highly regarded in general than American women, one factor that sets the two groups apart is education. Currently my life has being focused on my education, but would it have been if I had lived in Nigeria? In general, before addressing any gender discrepancies, it is important to realize that in general Nigeria is lacking in quality of education and availability of it. Though there are many agencies within Nigeria working to increase the access to and quality of education for all, there has been little change. Despite this, the numbers for the ratio of gender attendance in the United States and Nigeria are reversed. In America, the number of females is beginning to overtake the number of males who attend colleges and universities. This movement is bringing more women into the workforce than ever before, and is countering past trends. Nigeria’s situation is much different, and the numbers of females in higher education is minuscule at best. According to UNICEF, of all women in the country, a mere 56 percent of females are able to read. The main cause for this discrepancy is due to women marrying at an early age, which often goes hand in hand with teen pregnancy. This keeps females from excelling in education and thus from excelling in the workforce. It seems clear that I am reaping the benefits of having grown up in the United States. In general, people in the United States benefit from the availability and quality of education that they are presented with. However, despite higher numbers of women in higher education, the business world is still predominantly a boys club, keeping women from embracing and enjoying the educational gains they have made, and this is one fact that I am being faced with now. The glass ceiling in effect remains un-cracked in the United States despite the fact that it is getting less publicity. Women still trail men in the number of CEOs, Presidents, and other top employees due to gender biases, and now more than ever, with the fact that more women attend higher education institutes at a higher rate than men, it is clear that the bias and discrimination persists. However, the gap is narrower than it has been in years, prompting many women to keep working hard. It is important for me and many other females of Nigerian descent in the United States to realize how different the lives we’ve lead in United States would be compared to what we’d face in Nigeria. I wonder, ‘Would I be in college now, looking to work as a Physical Therapist if I lived in Nigeria?’ When having this realization, it seems more important now than ever before to embrace the fact that I am working to bring pride to not only myself, but to my country because I know that I am, at heart, a Nigerian. In essence, I am having the realization that I must use the benefits of living in the United States and translate them to benefits for my home country of Nigeria. By overcoming gender inequalities in the United States, I hope to be able see women in Nigeria do the same and close the gap created by these disparities.
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