BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

What it means to be female in Nigeria

  • Published
    1 July 2015
Share page
About sharing
Nigerian writer Chimamanda AdichieImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose book inspired #BeingFemaleInNigeria

ByBBC Trending
What's popular and why

What does it mean to be female in Nigeria? Women in Nigeria are using a hashtag on Twitter to share their experiences of everyday gender discrimination.

It started with a small book club meeting in the capital of Abuja on Sunday. Its members were discussing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "We Should All Be Feminists", based on the writer's popular talk, external. "We started describing our own experiences and challenges and thought we should bring the discussion to a larger group," says the book club's Florence Warmate. The area sales manager began to tweet, external her thoughts with the hashtag #BeingFemaleinNigeria, external, and soon the timeline flooded with other women sharing the unique situations they face because of their gender.

The hashtag, which has been mentioned more than 80,000 times on Twitter, has been used by both women and men to debate gender identity and describe how women face sexism in their workplace, public places and even in their homes.

"#BeingfemaleinNigeria is being told countless times that I will never find a husband because I am 'too ambitious' and outspoken," said, external one tweet.

Tweet about #BeingfemaleinNigeriaImage source, Twitter/yew1e
Tweet about #BeingfemaleinNigeriaImage source, Twitter/Aitadi
#BeingFemaleinNigeria tweetImage source, Twitter/ebuka_akara

Several tweets explained how they had to deal with gender stereotypes at work or being judged even based on the kind of vehicle they drove. "I learnt that if you graciously cook food & take to work for male colleagues, you must clear their dirty plates too," said, external one woman. "If you own an SUV, it's your sugar daddy/ married lover that bought it for you," tweeted, external another user.

"You can't go to club on your own to have a solo drink, you're a prostitute," read, external a tweet about the problems faced while going out. "Having to bear the trauma of your rape alone because your rapist is a highly respected family member," said, external another.

Another post, external referenced #BringBackOurGirls, the global online campaign which called for the release of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters: "You get kidnapped and killed because you are being educated."

Warmate says she does not expect society to change overnight. "But this can enlighten people and change perceptions about women. When women work hard, respect that." Nigeria is currently ranked, external 118th out of 142 countries in the Gender Gap Index 2014 of the World Economic Forum. In a new survey, external the 'Global Women Entrepreneur Leadership Scorecard', Nigeria scored the highest when it came to women who thought they have the skills to become entrepreneurs, but scored the least among 31 countries for 'business environment'.

Tweet about #BeingfemaleinNigeriaImage source, Twitter/jarumamagazine
Tweet about #BeingfemaleinNigeriaImage source, Twitter/IjeomaOgud
Tweet about #BeingAWomaninNigeriaImage source, Twitter/kemiagas

While several men have also actively encouraged the stories coming out of #BeingFemaleinNigeria, some responded with another hashtag: #BeingMaleinNigeria, external. "You must pay for lunch/dinner/movies/etc because masculinity = money," tweeted, external one man, while another said, external, "You are responsible, hardworking, morally upright. But stereotype of Nigerian men by women will overshadow your efforts."

Warmate clarifies her trend is not meant to put men down. "This is about gender equality. It's about how if a man did the same thing we did, no-one would ask him anything," she tells Trending. "It's not male bashing. It's not feminism." When asked why she thinks the trend is not linked to feminism, she explained that feminism is a broad subject with different definitions for different people, and it can be associated with a 'negative agenda'.

The conversation that started in Nigeria has resonated with women across the world and has sprouted posts about what it means to be women in other African, external countries like Ghana, external, and also Bangladesh, external. "Hashtags #BeingFemaleInGhana #beingfemaleinZimbabwe #BeingFemaleInNigeria just show that it's tough being a woman. Simple. But we're strong!," summarised, external one user.

Blog by Samiha Nettikkara, external

Next story: Bree Newsome: Flag activist becomes online folk hero

Bree Newsome takes down the Confederate Flag from a pole at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, June 27, 2015.Image source, Reuters

Bree Newsome scaled a flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol and took down the Confederate flag. By the time she climbed down, she was a hero to many online. READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

Top stories

  • Ceasefire comes into force as Israel's military pulls out of parts of Gaza

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Macron reappoints Lecornu as French PM after days of turmoil

    • Published
      52 minutes ago
  • Nineteen missing after explosion at Tennessee munitions factory

    • Published
      1 hour ago

More to explore

  • What does wording of Gaza ceasefire agreement tell us?

    A woman on a cart in dusty landscape.
  • What to know about the charges against Letitia James in the US

    Letitia James gestures with her finger as she speaks.
  • How will the EU's new border system work?

    A crowd of people at London St Pancras station in London. They're carrying rucksacks or suitcases as they wait to go through departures and board a Eurostar train across the Channel.
  • New James Bond producer 'up for the challenge'

    David Heyman in a black dinner jacket and black bow-tie
  • Stop expecting perfection from us - top referee

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Anthony Taylor
  • Tech billionaires seem to be doom prepping. Should we all be worried?

    Mark Zuckerberg's eyes looking worried
  • Want to feel calmer? How 20 minutes outside will help

    A wide, front view angle shot of a family and their dog walking through a woodland forest in Northumberland, Northeastern England during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Huge buzz but a big gamble: Battlefield 6 takes aim at Call of Duty

    Screenshot from Battlefield 6 shows a female sniper resting her cheek on the stock of a long-range rifle as she looks down its scope. There is a look of concentration on her face, which is flecked with black dust.
  • As Nobel Prize goes to Venezuela's opposition leader, how far would Trump go to help her?

     Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to her chest with one hand, surrounded by a crowd of men
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Tony Blair met Jeffrey Epstein while prime minister

  2. 2

    Macron reappoints Lecornu as French PM after days of turmoil

  3. 3

    Trump threatens to impose additional 100% tariff on China

  4. 4

    Nineteen missing after explosion at Tennessee munitions factory

  5. 5

    Thousands line streets for Ricky Hatton's funeral

  6. 6

    New James Bond producer 'up for the challenge'

  7. 7

    Twelve striking images from Ricky Hatton's funeral

  8. 8

    Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

  9. 9

    Ceasefire comes into force as Israel's military pulls out of parts of Gaza

  10. 10

    Actress Alex Kingston reveals womb cancer diagnosis

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Classic sci-fi horror directed by Ridley Scott

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Alien
  • Dame Julie Andrews narrates Pride and Prejudice

    • Attribution
      Sounds

    Added to My Sounds
    Jane Austen Stories has been added to your My Sounds.
    Jane Austen Stories
  • Joel's misogyny storyline is explored by the EastEnders cast

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere
  • Claire Balding joins Mark on his ramblings around Oakham

    • Attribution
      Sounds

    Added to My Sounds
    Mark Steel's in Town has been added to your My Sounds.
    Mark Steel's In Town
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.