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Bolanle Adetoun
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 Coordinator,
Centre for Sustainable Development and Gender Issues (CESDEG),
Nigeria
Research: Fostering Women's Empowerment: Gender and
HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Nigeria
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Dr. Bolanle Akande Adetoun has her Bachelor of Science
Degree in General Agriculture, a Master of Philosophy degree
in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology and a doctoral
degree in Rural Sociology from Obafemi Awolowo University
Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Additionally, she had a post-doctoral
training in Demography from Cornell University Ithaca, New
York United States of America. Over the years she has had
various short term trainings on Gender Issues and Reproductive
Health. She started her career life as a lecturer with Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, from where she proceeded to
head the Planning, Research and Statistics Department of
the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja, Nigeria.
She was opportuned to serve as the 1999 Director for the
Annual Gender Institute of the Council for the Development
of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) Dakar, Senegal
- the foremost organization for social science research
in Africa. She currently coordinates activities of the Centre
for Sustainable Development and Gender Issues (CESDEG),
Abuja - a non-governmental development organization. Her
research focus include Gender Issues, Population and Reproductive
Health, Agriculture, Social and Rural Development. She has
won many awards, done consultancies, conducted various national
and international researches, and published many scholarly
articles (including an edited book) in these areas.
She has also had accumulative experiences with working in
various Women and Children Programs. Due to her background
training that spans across a wide range of subjects areas
(Agriculture, Rural Sociology and Demography), coupled with
the fact that she started as a pure scientist before specializing
in the social sciences, she has been exposed to researches
in various subject areas. She is also someone who from a
very tender age to date enjoys active learning and knowledge
acquisition. Thus, over the years she has been improving
herself in such diverse areas as agricultural and rural
development, environment, population, health, gender, youth,
ethnic conflict, peace, human rights, etc. She has also
attended many national and international conferences, that
have exposed her to different perspectives on these issues.
Thus, she is quite comfortable in discussing Gender and
it's various cross-cutting issues. Some of her relevant
publications include:
Akande, B. E. (1989) "Some socio-cultural factors influencing
fertility behaviour: A case study of Yoruba women. Biology
and Society: The Journal of Galton Institute Vol. 6
No 4. (Dec.) pp. 162-170.
Akande, B.E. (1992) "Enhancing the Performance of Womens'
Multiple Roles: A case study of Isoya Rural Development
Project, Ile-Ife Nigeria". Community Development
Journal Volume 27 Number 1 (January) pp. 60-68.
Bolanle Akande Adetoun (1997) "Strategies for Advancing
Women in Leadership Positions". Images of the Nigerian
Woman. Volume 2 No 1 1997
Bolanle Akande Adetoun (1997) "Women in Rural Development"
Images of the Nigerian Woman. Volume 2 No 2 1997.
Glick, P. ……. B. Adetoun …. 2000 "Beyond
Prejudice as simple antipathy: Hostile and benevolent sexism
across cultures" Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology November, 2000
E-mail: badetoun@yahoo.com
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FOSTERING WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT: GENDER AND HIV\AIDS EPIDEMIC
IN NIGERIA
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causal organism
for the Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) disease.
On a global basis the HIV/AIDS epidemic is rising and Sub-Saharan
Africa (Nigeria constitute over 20% of sub-Saharan Africa)
currently has the highest infection rate. It is currently
estimated that over 4 million Nigerians are infected with
the HIV Virus. With 55% of HIV - positive adults in Sub-Saharan
Africa being women, they constitute 80% of world's women
population with HIV. Average infection rates in teenage
African girls are five times higher than those of teenage
boys. HIV/AIDS also affects more women and girls in Nigeria
and it is widely present in both the urban and rural communities.
A particular theme of growing concern has therefore been
the disparity in HIV infection levels between men and women
in many parts of Africa, especially in adolescents age groups
where many more girls are infected than young males. Unequal
gender relations are visible in the special vulnerability
of women to HIV and AIDS in the developing countries, and
in men's risk-taking behaviour. Social and cultural understandings
of gender exert powerful influences on human behavior, particularly
in the domain of sexuality. In the present context of the
AIDS epidemic, where sexual interactions may have deleterious
consequences, these gendered expectations and attitudes
are particularly salient. In Africa HIV/AIDS spreads mostly
through heterosexual contact. Taking into account the gender
dimensions of HIV/AIDS is therefore a critical element of
any social mobilization effort to address the pandemic in
sub-Saharan Africa. Many experts therefore belief that gender
equality and the empowerment of women are fundamental elements
in the reduction of the vulnerability of women and girls
to HIV/AIDS.
The main aim of this study is therefore to examine within
the Nigerian context those discriminatory factors areas
of power imbalances (Socio-cultural, Psychological, Economic,
Familial/Interpersonal, Political and Legal) that make women
and girls more vulnerable to HIV infection and AIDS and
to propose gender-sensitive initiatives for fostering women's
empowerment in order to reduce their vulnerabilities. The
study uses a conceptual framework focusing on relative power
differentials between partners, based on women's empowerment
theories. This framework recognizes that sexual activity
is not just an individual attribute, but a behavior negotiated
between two partners within a wider social, cultural, psychological,
familial/interpersonal, legal, political and economic power
contexts. Large differentials can place the weaker partner
at great risk, because he or she has relatively less power
to control sexual encounters. The study will obtain data
from secondary sources as well as primary sources. The secondary
sources will be through a thorough digest and reflection
of literature - published and unpublished studies, ethnographic
studies, and folklore such as poems, songs, proverbs, riddles,
tales etc. (literature is a mirror on the society and an
expression of its culture). Also the Nigerian Demographic
and Health Survey data and other relevant data and reports
will be examined and analyzed. The primary data will be
obtained through focused group discussion with different
categories of women and men from two locations in Nigeria
- one in the north and the other in the southern part. Focussed
group discussions will be conducted in both the urban and
rural communities in each of the two locations. In-depth
interviews will also be conducted with knowledgeable people
such as doctors, religious leaders, teachers, youth and
women leaders etc. within the two selected locations. Relevant
case studies will also be documented and analyzed. The analysis
of data and discussion in this study will seek to elaborate
on the various dimensions of gender power differentials
at all levels that predispose women and girls to higher
infection of HIV.
From the findings of this study and through interaction
with other international scholars, it is hoped that the
study will come out with gender-sensitive initiatives and
relevant empowerment strategies (at the household, community
and broader levels) that will promote equality and the empowerment
of women and girls in order to reduce their vulnerabilities
to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria. This research fits
in with the current Fulbright New Century Scholars Program
(2004-2005) - "Towards Equality: The Global Empowerment
of Women"; since it deals with the issue of gender
equality and women empowerment. It is also concerned with
those factors in the education and socialization of girls
that make them to be more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS epidemic.
This study also has implications for policies towards family,
reproduction and women's health. It will also consider those
factors in the workforce and workplace issues such as sexual
harassment which make women and girls to be more vulnerable
to HIV/AIDS epidemic. This proposed research will very much
benefit from collaborative work since HIV/AIDS is a global
phenomenon. Collaborative work can be done on the impact
of women and girls status on HIV/AIDS Epidemic in different
countries and how to foster their empowerment so as to reduce
their vulnerabilities. Hopefully the study will generate
important lessons and best practices that could be applicable\adapted
in other parts of the globe.
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