Continuity and change in the perception of womanhood in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Similar to other women in other patriarchal societies, Nigerian women are still subjected to certain preconceptions that are harmful to the stability of their families. This study exposes the variables and also investigates how these ideas have changed or continued. It also highlights the influential factors that might possibly behind this adjustment in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu state, Nigeria. A qualitative methodology comprising direct observation and in-depth interviews with 22 participants from six purposively chosen communities within the study area was employed. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used in the data analysis to depict the research participants' life experiences. The results demonstrate that most patriarchal norms that subjugate women have been radically altered in recent times, especially in the areas of access to employment, education, decision-making in the household, and marriage practices. This shift has been traced to advancement in education and age of the members of the society as well as the increase in the income of women. However, these factors did not influence any change in the area of inheritance, such as landed properties. The societal beliefs and practices concerning the inheritance of properties have remained the same to the present time. The study concludes that tradition/custom is the factor that kept the practice of women’s exclusion from property ownership unchanged even in the twenty-first century. It, therefore, suggests that women’s total liberation can be achieved through an intensified and sustainable advocacy against female disinheritance beyond Nsukka.