If there is anything I detest, then it has to be the advice that Nigerian men in foreign countries give to those planning to come over. One of such is: “Respect yourself and don’t make lewd jokes about women. They will arrest you”.
I was reminded of this advice when news came that a Nigerian man in the UK had faced a disciplinary panel at his job. Why? He told a colleague of his that she added weight and her shape would make sense if she “hit the gym”. The lady in question reported him to HR reporting that his comment really distressed her.
Now, the above incident reminded me of the numerous times I and other women in Nigeria were at the receiving end of lewd comments at work. It is not like they did not know that their negative comments were indeed negative. It is rather that they did not care and instead wanted to create an environment so hostile to women that women are forced to leave the workforce.
There are men in the Nigerian workspace who ask for hugs from their female colleagues. There are men who make comments about the bodies of their postpartum female co-workers who have just returned from maternity leave.
There are men who try to woo their female bosses and who ask her out on dates. There are also men who tell their female bosses to bake them cakes on their birthdays. And why does any of this exist such that it is almost expected that to work with Nigerian men means a possibility of harassment?
Why is it that even outside of corporate spaces and in what people term “blue collar jobs” where women are in control as leaders, women still face harassment? Why is it that female videographers at weddings face lurid comments from male photographers? Why do women like myself who are cooks face harassment from male bouncers and kitchen assistants during weddings? What or whose system is it protecting? Why is there a normalisation of workplace harassment in Nigeria?
Is it a case of the larger societal neglect of women’s safety seeping into the workplace? Or is it that these men know that reporting channels for sexual harassment in Nigeria are practically non-existent? Is it because Nigerian men themselves can look to the examples of our lawmakers who have histories of sexually harassing female senators?
Even more, why is it that most companies do not have adequate sexual anti-harassment policies? Why is that so normalised? For instance, most Nigerian companies have policies that structure healthcare, sick leaves and policies around working on holidays and weekends.
Some companies considered progressive may have a maternity leave policy and yet, the concept of companies having anti sexual harassment policies is not one that has seeped into the consciousness of Nigerians.
What if young women applying to jobs after the mandatory one year NYSC service year could do so with the confidence that if they experienced a toxic and sexist work environment, there existed adequate reporting channels? What if companies were required to submit a gender report to the Ministry of Labour and could risk losing their credibility if women reported them for mishandling of sexual harassment cases?
Would we still have incidents of juniors at work telling their female bosses: “I have your type at home so do not talk to me anyhow?”. Would there be cases of women losing employment, experiencing salary cuts or demotion due to giving birth?
For there to be true safety for women in the workplace in Nigeria, Nigerian society as a whole must let go of the belief that men are superior to women.
It must also let go of the belief that women’s money making ability is inferior to men or must defer to a husband.
If these two are not done, we would continue to raise boys who see female leadership in and out of the home as permanently threatening to their sense of manhood.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.