PATRIARCHAL INFLUENCE ON THE RIGHT OF WOMEN OVER THEIR BODIES

Abstract

Men often take undue advantage over women on their bodies. In the African traditional societies and beyond, several debates have been ongoing on the need for the women folk to regain their full freedom without taking into cognisance the main reason behind this dominance. In the actual sense of it, African men take advantage of women in the African society majorly because of the authority which the society accords the African men as a result of the Patriarchal cultural practice which is traditionally inherent within the African society. This patriarchy has directly and indirectly affected the economy as well as the power structure in the African society. This paper attempts an examination of the patriarchal influence on the rights of women over their bodies. It aims at submitting that there is a need to merge patriarchy with women freedom as a blend for the development of our society so that the women will at least be able to live as human. The methods of historical and critical analysis, reflective argumentation and oral interview were adopted to pursue the aims of this study.