“THE WOMAN KING”AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN AFRICAN SOCIETY. A CRITIQUE

ABSTRACT

The study anchored on the tenets of feminist and intersectionality Theory in determining the attitude of the students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) towards the roles of women in African society, with the movie ‘Woman King’ in view. The study became necessary following the fact that women in African society have been marginalized, and their roles limited. Hence it became imperative to determine the attitude and perception of Uniben Students toward the role of women in African society, drawing instances from the movie ‘Woman King’. Using the Survey research design, questionnaire was employed to elicit data from 398 Students of the University of Benin (Male and Female, who are 18 years and above) using the purposive sampling technique. It was found out that Uniben Students are of the opinion that African women have been marginalized, and  their roles in the society indeed limited, and also affected by cultural and societal norms hampering their freedom. However, Uniben students also opined that ‘Woman King’ is a movie that can serve as catalyst for social change regarding gender roles in African society, because it challenges traditional gender roles and expectations which can have a positive impact on society. Thus, this study concludes that society and even the family promote gender inequality, as the male gender is more favored in the family and society at large compared to the female gender. Hence it was recommended that the family should treat their children equally so as to curb the issue of gender inequality, as charity begins at home. Also, the Government and society should accommodate and support the women’s movement and political careers. Furthermore, there should be more movies like ‘Woman King’ that showcase the stories of women as strong and resilient, this way the society will know the relevance and importance of women.