User:Lps247/Women in Nigeria (WIN)

Women in Nigeria (WIN)

Background Women in Nigeria (WIN) is the oldest and largest feminist organization in Nigeria. It was founded in 1983 by female activists, academics and professionals as an outcome of the national conference on women’s rights (Madunagu 156). As an autonomous organization, its political ideology is centered on changing gender, class, and neocolonial social relations (Imam 291). Unlike other development organizations that have sought to improve the status of women within the framework of existing gender roles, WIN’s stated goal is to use “transformative strategies” to help a achieve a more gender-equal balance of power within Nigerian society (Abdullah 152-153). WIN has remained a non-religious and voluntary organization, and has welcomed male members into its association (Ihonvbere & Shaw 150).

Activities WIN’s activities have included grassroots campaigning, international networking, and academic research. The themes of its campaigns have included clean water, equal access to education, early and forced marriage, family law reform, and capital punishment under Islamic law (Imam 295 & Jega). It has also been vocally opposed to totalitarian regimes in the country, most notably against the Babangida administration of the early 1990s (Reno 222).

One of WIN’s principle strategies has been to publish research from a gender perspective, with each year’s theme chosen by a consensus. In 1985, the first publication, Women in Nigeria Today (1985) emerged from the national conference. Later publications were Women in Politics (1989), Child Abuse (1992), Breaking the Silence: Women Against Violence (1993), and Women in Nigeria (1993) (Madunagu 158).

Criticism The organization has been called “radical” for its approach to gender relations (Imam 307 & Zeleza 602). Others have claimed that WIN lacks broad-based support because it is too academic in nature, thus leaving most women beyond its reach (Okeke-Ihejirika 23). More still, it has been called a “victim of elite opportunism” (Imam 280).