HOW THE PATRIARCHY HAS BEEN ROBBING WOMEN POOR

"If I plan to purchase a gift for my daughter, I'll buy it in her husband's name..."

 

That statement made by Pete Edochie made me sit down and reflect on the embarrassing gap between men and women when it comes to wealth. It made me wonder of how women had been systematically, culturally and religiously robbed over the centuries up to the point where they had to depend on men for money, hence the creation of a social contract where men offer benevolent financial protection and assistance in exchange for a woman's mandatory domestic and sexual servitude.

 

These are some of the ways that the patriarchy has impoverished and keeps impoverishing women over the years.

 

1. Women can't inherit from their fathers.

2. Women can't inherit from their husbands.

3. Women are discouraged from buying properties when they are unmarried.

4. Women are encouraged to forfeit their property to their husband after marriage.

5. Women are encouraged to buy properties in their husband's name.

6. Husband demands that his wife's salary is paid into his account.

7. Husband asks wife to resign from her job.

8. Husband asks wife to turn down promotion.

9. Man asks girlfriend/fiancée/wife to choose between her education and marriage.

10. Man buys gift for girlfriend/fiancee/wife and register it in his name.

11. Man and girlfriend/fiancee/wife contribute money to set up a business, but it is registered to him only.

12. Man sets up business for girlfriend/fiancee/wife but the business is registered to him.

13. Man and woman contribute money to acquire properties, but they are all registered to him alone or her name appears as Mrs His Name. 

 

Many times in Nollywood movies, a rich patriarch who has educated and intelligent daughters, will be scouting for a SON in law to take over his company. E.g. Namaste Wahala. His daughter is a lawyer like him, but he wants a strange man to come and take over his own daughter's inheritance.

 

Yul Edochie needs his daughter to tell him to buy a car in her own freaking name before he does so. 

 

Pete Edochie will give the car to the son in-law irrespective of what the daughter says. 

 

Ubi Franklin expects a woman to step down as the CEO of her own company and give the position to her husband just because he lost his job. 

 

Even men who write wills don't bother to leave anything for their wives. The wives are not even their next of kin. 

 

This realization made me scrap that nonsense according to which Nigerian women see marriage as a poverty alleviation program. The reality is that Nigerian men are the ones using marriage to enrich themselves at the detriment of their wives. Even the woman who got married to escape poverty, will still find herself working to enrich the man in that marriage. 

 

If Regina Daniels decides to leave Ned tomorrow, what will she take away with her? Were those cars, houses or any other valuable asset that he bought for her bought in her name?

 

Even though marriage at the registry guarantees some form of protection to the wife in the case of a divorce or demise of the husband, what about all the cultural practices through which she will be robbed and impoverished over the years?

 

These are the discussions we need to have. These are the reforms we need to demand. These the are cultural uses and customs we need to scrap. 

 

The patriarchy is evil. There will never be anything kind about it.