SOURCE:

Faculty: Social Sciences
Department: Sociology And Anthropology

CONTRIBUTORS:

Ugwu, T.U;
Nnonyelu, Au.N;
Ezeh, P-J;

ABSTRACT:

Current debates on gender division of labour are premised on the belief that women are being subordinated by men. With the ascendancy of gender inequality theories in the social sciences, hypotheses are made that most societies are patriarchal and men extend dominance in every domain: social, economic, political, and even academic. Such hypotheses negate the possible gendered role variations in socioeconomic activities among the world’s cultures. Ethnographic evidences have shown that some non-western societies are matriarchal, and that in some non-western patriarchal societies women wield enormous socioeconomic power. This study was designed to examine ethnographically, gender and economic relations of the Nrobo of Southeastern Nigeria. Specifically, the study was designed to achieve the following: to examine the subsistence strategies of the Nrobo; to investigate the gendered role patterns of economic relations among the Nrobo; to examine the gender gaps in economic relations among the Nrobo; to examine the ways in which the autochthonous gender and economic relations of the Nrobo have changed; and to evaluate the factors responsible for changes, if any, in gender and economic relations, among the Nrobo. Ethnography was adopted as a major research design of this study. Ethnographic field techniques of participant observation, cultural consultant interview (CCI), in-depth interviews (IDI), and conversations with varying degree of formality were used as the major data collection techniques. Also, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was used as a supplementary data collection technique. Data collected was analysed using narrative and descriptive methods. Evidences generated through the various research techniques adopted for this study were coded and analysed in themes derived from the specific objectives of the study. The study found that Nrobo subsistence strategy is based on agriculture and internal and external market exchange. The study also found that gendered role patterns of economic relation follows ideological pattern that permits division of labour between men and women. Furthermore, the study found that, relations between men and women are characterized by strong male domination ideologically; women in Nrobo are excluded from economic activities that are considered identity marker for membership of the lineage. Moreover, the study found that there has been gradual transformation and improvement in the standard of living for women and men but the ideological inequality persists. Finally, the study found that the factors responsible for the gradual transformation include Christianity, technological improvements and western-style education. The study concluded that although the Nrobo society has witnessed acculturation, the subsistence activities still reflect autochthonous structure. Even though there are still verbal ideological reflections on gendered roles division, it does not mirror what actually obtains in the society, except bio-social roles. Ideological superiority of men reflects the patrilineal kinship arrangement of the society. Theoretically some of the hypotheses of gender inequality (socialist) theory were disputed because it could not adequately explain gender and economic relation of the Nrobo. It is therefore recommended that a further research in this area should be holistic in order to capture interstices between kinship, political, religious and gendered economic relations.