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SEXISM AS AN ASPECT OF FACE THREATENING ACT: A STUDY OF SELECTED 

SPEECH SITUATIONS 

 

Nwamaka Regina Eze  

Email: amakachimere16@gmail.com 

& 

 Prof. Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto  

Department of Eng Language and Literature 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka 

 

Abstract 

The effects of heightened gender consciousness as a result of creative awareness by feminist scholars 

and linguist have continued to influence women’s linguistic perception of male dominance in 

communication. This study has investigated the linguistic phenomenon of sexism as a form of face 

threatening act. It is motivated by the fact that the use of dehumanizing language, gender exclusive 

language as well as negative cultural practices such as male child preference have continued to be a 

linguistic instrument of perpetuating sexist language in the African society. The theoretical framework 

of this study is hinged on politeness theory of Brown and Levinson. The method of data collection is 

anchored on direct participant observation. This study used conversational settings such as family and 

church meetings to examine the linguistic phenomena of sexism as a form of face threatening acts 

from the perspectives of diverse speech situations. This study revealed that sexism constitutes an overt 

as well as covert face threatening act. It was also discovered that the sociolinguistic and cultural 

factors that encourage sexism in different speech situations in Anambra State are the socio-linguistic 

assumption promoted by culture and religion which assumes that the male gender is stereotypically 

superior to the female gender. The linguistic implication of sexism as a form of face threatening act is 

that a sexist motivated impoliteness constitute verbal scar that it is intended to devalue the positive 

face of female co-interactants in a given speech situation. The study recommends thatthere is the need 

for female scholars, linguists and writers to be more focused in challenging patriarchal gender identity 

constructions that encourage the propagation of sexist face threatening language use in mixed gender 

communication. 

Keywords: sexism, face threatening act, verbal scar and linguistic facelessness 

 

1.0 Introduction 

The controversies surrounding sexism as a form of face threatening act is the driving force behind this 

study which aims at discovering linguistic markers of sexism as an aspect of face threatening act. In 

gender studies, scholars, researchers and linguists have continued to lay emphasis on the use of 

effective, objective, persuasive, gender-friendly and acceptable communication patterns and 

expressions among humans. This is crucial because effective communication is fundamental towards 

creating and sustaining self-esteem, peace and sustainable interpersonal relationship in every 

linguistic community. Secondly, due to the age long culture of male dominance, men are always 

portrayed as being responsible for protecting women and the family members; because they are 

assumed as the main breadwinners of the family.  

 

Tannen (1990) highlights this socio-cultural difference, claiming that females and males are trained or 

brought up from childhood to comply with different conversational styles, “private speaking” “rapport 

talk” for the females and “public speaking” “report talk” for the males. This postulation is a linguistic 

reality in the African society where women have continued to be relegated to the background.  In fact, 

men and women use language differently because they belong to two different subcultures. In 

essence, the stereotypical upbringing of children in the African society is built on the background that 

a girl must think and talk like a woman and a boy must talk, command and act like a man.  Wareing 

(1999) adds that women are less-assertive in language use and use “gossip” for conversational 

solidarity. Guimei (2010) on the other hand points out that language is far from merely reflecting the 

nature of society; it serves as a primary means of constructing and maintaining that society. Its 

existence and development are closely linked with the social attitudes of human beings and to a great 

mailto:amakachimere16@gmail.com


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156               Eze & Ezenwa-Ohaeto  

extent are affected by their social views and values. Specifically, people’s socio-cultural behaviours 

and attitudes as well as thoughts are reflected in their use of the language.  

 

Furthermore, the African society is man-oriented and man-centered. This fuels all forms of gender 

discrimination through the use of language. Sexism in language use is a reflection of gender 

domination of women in social realities. However, there appears to be a gap in the study of sexism as 

it relates to what marks out sexism as an aspect of face threatening act. The objectives of this paper is 

to textually analyze linguistic phenomena of sexism as an aspect of face threatening through 

analyzing the lexical and grammatical features that encode the linguistic incidence of sexism as a 

form gender identity suppression, intimidation and facelessness designed to damage the positive face 

of women. This study will also highlight on the politeness strategies embedded in sexist expressions 

in order to ascertain how they constitute face threatening act. 

 

2.0 Conceptual Clarifications 

It is pertinent to discuss concepts such as sexism, face threatening act, politeness strategy because 

they will be useful for the achievement of the objectives of this paper.Sexism is defined in this study 

as a prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it 

primarily affects women and girls. Matsumoto (2001) posits that this practice is linked 

to stereotypes and gender roles which have been assigned to members of a linguistic community. 

Based on this argument, the sex or gender of an individual determines acceptable linguistic role that 

they are expected to play within their linguistic community and beyond. Witt (2017) points out that 

extreme sexism may foster sexualharassment, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. This has 

introduced a different form of sexism which is hingedon discrimination toward people based on 

their gender identity, or sex differences such that they must adhere to their assigned linguistic roles. 

 

However, Wilson’s (1997) definition of sexism seems to be more comprehensive. He posits that 

sexism is a form of expectations of women’s appearances, actions, skills, emotions and proper place 

in society. A sexist action is therefore, one which is predicated on an assumption of a difference 

between men and women which is not biologically justified and which is harmful to the peaceful and 

sustainable development and coexistence in the society. Graddol and Swan (1989) see sexism as any 

discrimination against women or men because of their sex made up on irrelevant grounds.  The 

concept of sexism is also related to gender stereotypes. Manstead, Hewstone, Miles et al. (1999) 

postulate that the notion of gender stereotype is a widely held beliefabout the characteristics and 

behaviour of women and men.  The fact remains that sexism in language exists when language 

devalues members of a certain gender. Therefore, sexist language, in many instances, promotes male 

superiority which affects consciousness, perceptions of reality, encoding and transmitting cultural 

meanings and socialization.  

 

Furthermore, the ideology behind the linguistic phenomena of sexism is that male gender is superior. 

This is the linguistic motivation that has encouraged sexism for many years. Ezenwa-Ohaeto (2013) 

posits that language serves as the expressive vehicle of ideologies. In order words, ideologies are 

identified within the structures, style, system and content of the language. With particular reference to 

discourse events, ideologies are situated and expressed in discourses.Ezenwa-Ohaeto (2015) further 

points out that the male gender is both the primary and secondary beneficiary of these practices in the 

society while the female gender has remained the victim of this deliberately instituted interests and 

privileges that have been appropriated by one group over the other. From the foregoing, the working 

definition of this study is that sexism is an intentional, unfair and unwarranted discrimination of 

people based on the biological phenomenon of sex.  

 

Sexist language is considered to be any language that is supposed to include all people, but 

intentionally excludes a gender. This is especially common in situations that describe jobs—common 

assumptions include that all doctors are men, all nurses are women, all coaches are men, or all 

teachers are women. Most people would agree that these assumptions are largely untrue today, though 

the language used often perpetuates the stereotypes. According to Atkinson (1993) linguistic sexism is 

a wide range of verbal practices, including not only how women are labelled and referred to, but also 



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how language strategies in mixed sex interaction may serve to silence or depreciate women as 

interactants. Ivy and Backlund (1994) added that if sexism refers to attitudes and/or behaviours that 

denigrate one sex to the exaltation of the other, then it follows that sexist language would be verbal 

communication that conveys those attitudes or behaviours. At its crudest and most hurtful, sexist 

language is a tool used to damage someone.  

 

Fromkin, Rodman and Hyams (2007) typify the discrimination against women by quoting Graham’s 

analogy:  

If a woman is swept off a ship into the water, the cry is man overboard. If she is 

killed by a hit-and-run driver, the charge is manslaughter. If she is injured on 

the job, the coverage is workmen ‘s compensation. But if she arrives at the 

threshold marked Men Only, she knows the admonition is not intended to bar 

animals or plants or inanimate objects. It is meant for her.  

Obvoiusly, the stereotype for a woman must be everything bad while in the same circumstance, a man 

is always dignified. This shows the level at which language has demeaned women. Many feminists 

have examined the representation of women in language and have, according to Cameron (1998) 

concluded that our language is sexist because they represent or name the world from a masculine 

viewpoint and in accordance with stereotyped beliefs about the sexes.  This means that language 

encodes a cultural value, and in this way reflects sexist culture. Cameron (1998) further states that:  

Language could be seen as a reflection of sexist culture. It could be seen as 

carrier of ideas and assumptions which become, through their constant re-

enactment in discourse, so familiar and conventional we miss their 

significance. Thus, sexism is not merely reflected but acted out and thus 

reinforced in a thousand banal encounters. 

 

Another issue critical for this study is, Face-Threatening. As Mey (2001) rightly points out that the 

need to save face is recognised by languages and is an important socio-linguistic concept in human 

interaction deriving from notions of politeness. Linguistic interaction, however, threatens interlocutors 

face andthis is why speakers use linguistic strategies that express solidarity and minimise potential 

threats both for themselves and the hearers. 

 

More so, a politeness strategy is a strategy that is used to prevent a violation of the hearer's face.To 

Brown & Levinson (1987), politeness strategies are developed in order to save the hearers “face”. 

Face refers to the respect that an individual has for maintaining “self-esteem” in public or in private 

situations. Usually, a person tries to avoid embarrassing the other person, or making them feel 

uncomfortable by the language used in the process of communication. Face threatening acts (FTA’s) 

are acts that infringe on the hearers need to maintain his self-esteem, and be respected. Consequent 

upon this, politeness strategies are developed for the main purpose of dealing with these face 

threatening acts. There are four types of politeness strategies, described by Brown and Levinson that 

sum up human “politeness” behaviour. These are bald on record, positive politeness, negative 

politeness, and off record-indirect strategies. 

 

Lakoff (1973) is of the view that politeness is a system of interpersonal relations designed to facilitate 

interaction by minimizing the potential for conflict and confrontation inherent in all human 

interchange. While Fraser (1990) presents the notion of politeness as a conversational contract as he 

further states that, “upon entering into a given conversation, each party brings an understanding of 

some initial set of rights and obligations that will determine, at least for the preliminary stages, what 

the participants can expect from others”.  

 

In sociolinguistics, strategies adopted in politeness reveal the concern for others and minimize threats 

to self-esteem, "face" in given contexts of language use. Politeness strategiesare known to be positive 

when they are intended to save ‘face’ by demonstrating degrees of friendliness. These strategies 

include placing disapproval with compliments, establishing cordiality by adopting jokes, nicknames, 

compliments, tag questions, special discourse markers and certain jargon and slang that are common 

to a given class or a social group. Also, politeness strategiesare known to be negative when they 

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appear to give offence by detracting from the choice of complimentary expressions. These strategies 

include questioning, hedging, and presenting disagreements as opinions. The best known and most 

widely used approach to the study of politeness is the framework introduced by Brown & Levinson. 

Their theory of linguistic politeness is sometimes referred to as the "'face-saving' theory of politeness.  

 

Therefore, politeness focuses on awareness of another person’s face while presenting one’s own face. 

To accept somebody’s face means using strategies which are either threatening or saving and which 

express a negative or a positive face respectively. These strategies help to establish social distance, 

respect, deference or closeness, solidarity or friendship, depending on the situation and the used 

strategies. Also, if something is said which could be seen as a threat to somebody else’s self-image, it 

is called a face threatening act. Face-threatening acts (FTA’s), are liable to threaten or damage the 

hearer’s positive face through expressions of disapproval/criticism, accusations, contradictions, 

interruption, expressions of violent emotions, etc., and threaten his/her negative face, i.e. orders, 

requests, reminding, offers, promise, etc. Moreover, certain acts can also be face threatening to the 

speaker’s positive face, such as expressing thanks, excuses, acceptance of offers/apologies, etc, as 

well as his/her negative face, such as apologies, acceptance of compliments, confessions/admissions 

of guilt or responsibility, etc.  For Cameron (1998) women are usually “negotiating their relatively 

powerless position in interaction with men”. She further argues that interruptions, turn-constructions, 

verbosity, and floor management in verbal interactions are seen to be less in the grasp of women than 

men. But Litosseliti (2006) views the demarcation of women’s and men’s language as traceable to the 

two sexes’ different socialisations.  

 

3.0 Theoretical Framework 

The framework of this study is based on politeness theory of Brown and Levinson propounded in 

1987. They see politeness as a form of universals in language usage”. The generality of Brown and 

Levinson’s theory focuses on ‘face’. According to them, face could be at risk any time interlocutors 

communicate and each participant in a normal human communication has two types of face need - a 

positive face need and a negative face need. The positive face need is said to be the positive 

consistent self-image or personality claimed by a person in which he desires to be treated in a 

friendly manner.   

 

While the negative face need, is the basic claim to territories, personal preserves, freedom of action 

and freedom from imposition. Positive politeness attends to a person’s positive face and includes 

such speech acts as compliments, invitations, greetings, expressions of goodwill and solidarity. On 

the other hand, negative politeness attends to a person’s negative face need and includes indirectness 

and apologies. It expresses respect and consideration.  

 

 Besides, Brown and Levinson’s model person chooses from three super ordinate types of strategies 

when a face-threatening act is to be performed. They are doing the act on record, doing the act off 

record and not doing the act at all. Of these strategies, the first, doing the act on record is the most 

usual. They also outlined four main types of politeness strategies: bald on record, positive politeness, 

negative politeness and off-the-record or indirect strategy. 

 

The Bald on Record Politeness Strategy  

The bald on record politeness strategy makes no attempt to minimize possible threats to the hearer’s 

face while communicating. Speakers who have a close relationship with their audience may engage in 

this kind of strategy, as there is every possibility that the addressee feels embarrassed by the speech 

act. More direct expressions, for example, are mostly used between friends or relations. For instance, 

telling your brother to ‘wash the car’ or a friend to ‘come to your house’. When these statements or 

the likes are said bluntly to acquaintances or visitors, the speaker is likely to be perceived as one who 

is impolite.  

 

Positive Politeness  

Positive politeness, on the other hand, attempts to minimize the possible threats to the hearer’s face as 

interlocutors may know themselves fairly well. An example is, ‘I know you have spent a lot this 

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season, but could you lend me five hundred naira?’ The speaker here takes into cognizance the fact 

that the hearer has got other things to do with his money before making his request.  

 

Negative Politeness  

Negative politeness on its own part, presumes that the speaker will be imposing on the hearer. The 

possibility of feeling embarrassed is more in this strategy than the former two. The desire for one to 

remain autonomous is what is meant by negative face. That is why, a request made without putting 

into consideration the hearer’s negative face will show imposition.   

 

Indirect Politeness Strategy  

The indirect politeness strategy includes the use of indirect language by a speaker so that he is seen as 

one who is not imposing. Generally speaking, the more indirect the expression one uses, the politer 

one will appear. A speaker who says: ‘it is getting hot in her room’ could mean that the fan be 

switched on even though not said explicitly and not having directly required any to do the switching 

on.  

  

From the foregoing, it is evident that there is a great need to maintain the face wants of others in the 

communicative act. Any speech act that falls short of this is taken as an intrusion on the co-

interactants personal space and this is consequently labeled a Face Threatening Act (FTA). One 

commits this act whenever one behaves in a way that could potentially fail to meet positive face 

needs.  

 

4.0 Methodology  

The sources of data for this study comprise speeches situations such as church meeting, and tenants’ 

meetings. The rationale for the choice of the speech situation is based on the assumption that 

studying different speech situations will help the researcher to investigate the phenomenon of sexism 

as a form of face threatening act from different sociolinguistic backgrounds. The method of data 

collection of this work is anchored on direct participant observation. This method is suitable because 

it will enable the researcher to have a first-hand encounter on the phenomena of sexism.  

 

In this study, textual analysis will be used as a tool for data analysis. The study is anchored on 

politeness theory of Brown and Levinson. The purpose of textual analysis is to describe the content, 

structure, and functions of the messages contained in transcribed conversation in line with the 

objectives of the study. The theories utilized in this study are interrelated because they aim at 

describing, interpreting and critiquing social life, realities and ideologies reflected in the text.  

 

5.0 Results and Data Analysis 

The transcribed textual data from different speech situations used in this study were drawn from 

different speech situations such as tenants meeting and church committee meetings.  

 

Data A. Tenants meeting 

Text 1: 

Mr. Okoye: these idle people that want to become men will not allow us to rest in this compound! 

From the above text, it was revealed that there are lexical features that mark out face threatening 

sexist language. In text 1, the use of “these” “that” “us” attest to this fact. The use of the adjective 

“these” is an obvious linguistic sexist string that clearly portray the negative gender identity which in 

turn set the stage for grievance face threatening act.  

The linguistic import of the word these idle people ideologically portrays that there is something 

negative about being a woman. Hence, the use of the utterance: these idle people that want to become 

men will not allow us to rest in this compound! 

Secondly, the use of the words “these idle people” is a sexist utterance that is overtly face threatening. 

This is factual because the use of such words is meant to undermine the positive face of the women 

present at the meeting and indeed all women in general. 

 

 



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Text 2: 

Mr. Joseph: I thought we (the men) have agreed in our last meeting that they (the women) should be 

in charge of sweeping this compound and mobbing the stair case? 

In text 2, the decisive nature of chauvinistic tendency embedded in lexical items that mirror sexist 

expression is brought to the fore. The use of the words “we the men” clearly point to this fact. This 

study has clearly shown that sexist expressions are not only man-oriented or man-centered words but 

they also include words that discriminate against the women on the basis of their sexual identity.   

Here in text 2, the use of the words;  

(a) “we the men” (assertion of chauvinistic authority), 

(b) “in our last meeting” (men’s meeting previously held to discuss the issue prior to the general 

meeting), 

(c)  “they the women” (exclusive female gender maker),  

(d) “should be in charge of sweeping this compound and mobbing the stair case” (gender 

intimidation), 

is a clear portrayal of the culture bound persistent second-class status of the African women. The 

linguistic importance of the word “they” is conceived to relegate the women to the background. Even 

when all the tenants both male and female are paying the same house rent still their status can never 

be equal with the male co-interactant in this speech situation. 

The use of the collective pronoun “we” as seen above is another lexical item that has sexist ideology. 

For instance: I thought we the men have agreed in our last meeting. The above sentence points to the 

fact that the role an African woman performs and how she should be referred to has been 

sociolinguistically predetermined and sustained from generation to generation by the patriarchal 

African culture.  

 

Text 3: 

Nwamaka: Mr. Okoye. Who are the idle women in this compound? Why do you always think that men 

are more important than women? Please we…. (she was interrupted) 

Text 3 is an attempt at gender assertiveness and the quest for the negotiation of equal linguistic power 

and treatment. In the above text, Nwamaka questions the assertion by asking the question: Who are 

the idle women in this compound? Why do you always think that men are more important than 

women.  

Furthermore, the third part of the text 3 “Please we….”  

followed by an interruption reveals that linguistic interruption is another form of sexism as a form of 

face threatening act. Here, the interruption of Nwamaka is a clear indication of disrespect as a result 

of her sexual identity as a woman.   

 

Text 4: 

Mr Joseph: (interrupts Nwamaka…) shut up your mouthNwamaka… or whatever you call yourself, 

let me educate you. It is a taboo for men to be sweeping compound and scrubbing the floor when 

useless girls like you and other women that are supposed to be taking care of their crying babies are 

living here. 

A critical look at text 4 affirms linguistic interruption as an aspect of face threatening act.  

 

Text 5: 

Ikenna: Bia this girl. You think you have gone to school; how do you expect an honorable like me an 

Ozo titled man in my community to be sweeping compound for you.  I can see that you are you mad! 

One of these days, I will flog you at your bombom in this compound. 

In text 5, utterances that are face threatening such as: 

(1) Bia this girl. 

(2) You think you have gone to school! 

(3) I can see that you are mad 

(4) I will flog you at your bombom in this compound 

 

Were used to reinforce the sexist and chauvinist orientation of the men participating in the above 

speech situations.   



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Data B. Church Meeting 

Text 6: 

Elder Chima: We are here to select members of the seven-man committee  for this year’s harvest as 

instructed by our Rev. 

In the above church meeting, text 6 is a clear case of sexist expression that is also face threatening. 

For instance, the use of the collective pronoun ‘we’ to refer to the male interactants that want to select 

members of seven-man committee’ is also face threatening.  

 

Text 7: 

Mrs. Obiora: Why 7-man committee members? Why do the men in this church always sideline women 

in spite of the great number of capable women we have and their numerous contributions for the 

growth of this church? First of all, I suggest that this year’s harvest and bazaar chairman should be a 

woman. I think that…. 

Text 7 is an attempt by a female interactants in the church meeting to oppose male gender dominance 

by asserting that the female gender is a capable human with immense potential of contributing to the 

progress of the church in any capacity. 

 

Text 8 

Bro Miracle: (interrupts Mrs. Obiora) what do you mean? Have you seen or heard that a woman held 

the post of a chairman of the harvest and bazaar planning committee in this church? God Forbid. 

That suggestion is not good for us in the body of Christ. It is obvious here that our sisters here have 

turned a devilish blind eye to the teachings of our lord Jesus Christ in the Bible. Please, if they want 

to redeem their souls before it is too late, they should go and read: I Corinthians chapter 14 verse 34; 

“it says that women should remain silent in the churches”. They are not allowed to speak.  It is not 

proper for them to speak, but must be in submission as the law says. Brothers in Christ, am I the one 

that added this in the Bible? Christ himself placed women where he wants them to be. So, can we call 

master Jesus, the omnipotent God of all ages a man of injustice. 

A critical look at text 8 points to the sociolinguistic variables that fuel sexism as a form of face 

threatening act. The above text has shown that religion is one of the most dominant factor that 

encourage the use of sexist expression especially in a religious setting. This motivation is even 

supported by some popular verses of the Bible such as: I Corinthians chapter 14 verse 34; “it says 

that women should remain silent in the churches” as cited in text 8 by a male interactants. 

 

Text 9: 

Mrs. Grace:  We can still give it a trial. Who knows whether the result will be better in this year’s 

harvest? We have to…  

Text 9 of the above text is also an indication that women are beginning to question sexist stereotype 

and men dominance of their gender in spite of the fact such practice has not yielded much positive 

result in terms of positive female gender identity reconstruction.  

 

Text 10: 

Bro James: (interrupts) Taaa! Sit down. I say sit down. If you don’t have anything reasonable to say 

just keep quiet. How can you utter such a nonsense? Women are meant to be under men and not the 

other way round. Let’s not tempt our Lord Jesus Christ. I am certainly sure that we will get the same 

result we got from the Garden of Eden from that seductress and sinful woman, Eve who had sown a 

sinful seed in the heart of all women. I’m quite amazed! Women in this our church are beginning to be 

influenced by the sinful culture in this world. I wonder how our women will handle this executive post 

righteously without being deceived like Eve and other adulterous women in the Bible. 

 

Text 10 also reveal that interruption is a linguistic weapon in the hands of male chauvinist to 

perpetuate sexism and face threatening act. The above utterances are carefully preconceived notions 

aimed at suppressing and intimidating women in the African society. 

 

 

 



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6.0 Discussion  

From the above text, it was been revealed that there are lexical features that mark out face threatening 

sexist language. For instance, the use of “these” “that” “us” attest to this fact. The use of the 

demonstrative adjective “these” is an obvious linguistic sexist string that clearly portrays the negative 

gender identity which in turn set the stage for the perpetuation of face threatening act. The linguistic 

import of the word these ‘idle people’ in text 1 ideologically portrays that there is something negative 

about being a woman. Hence, the use of the utterance: these idle people that want to become men will 

not allow us to rest in this compound!  

 

The study also revealed that the chauvinistic tendency of the male gender in the African society 

correlates with the textual data examined in this study. It has shown that sexist expressions are not 

only man-oriented or man-centered words but they also include words that discriminates against 

women on the basis of their sexual identity. The study  has also shown that linguistic interruption 

arising from the use of sexist expressions is as an aspect of face threatening act. The data analysis 

equally portrayed thatlinguistic interruption is a discourse weapon in the hands of male chauvinist to 

perpetuate sexism and face threatening act aimed at suppressing communicative power of women in 

the African society. 

 

7.0 Conclusion  

From the textual analysis of this study, it is obvious that sexist expressions are man-oriented or man-

centered language. This study also found out that sexist expression can be seen as face threatening 

when negative, harsh, impolite lexical and grammatical words are encoded in the utterance. Again, 

gender suppression through the use of words that exclude the women is also an aspect of face 

threatening act because such utterance or words points out that women are of lesser or inferior value. 

Therefore, this study can categorically affirm that lopsided gender identity construction in favour of 

male gender is an aspect of face threatening act in the African society.The study discoveredthat 

negative politeness strategywas used extensively by male interactants to intimidate and harass their 

female counterparts linguistically and this constitute an obvious face threatening act. 

 

8.0 Recommendations 

Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: 

1. There is an urgent need for female scholars, linguists and writer to be more focused in 

challenging patriarchal stereotypes in the African society through the production of literary 

works that will be an inspiration that will help to correct the negative socio-linguistic image 

of the Nigerian women and the girl child. Such works should focus on advocating for 

equitable distribution of housework, promoting male responsibility for fatherhood and 

inclusion of domestic work for all sexes at home and in the society at large. 

2. Efforts should also be made by enlighten women to challenge the over bearing influence of 

culture and religion through counter narrative.  

3. More serious efforts should also be articulated to linguistically challenge cultural taboos that 

subjugate women such as son preference and stereotypes in upbringing up of the boy and the 

girl child. 

4. The government as well as women non-governmental organizations should vigorously 

promote the education of the girl child by championing the removal of gender stereotypes in 

the media that tend to portray woman as a second class citizen who is only capable of child 

rearing and cooking in the kitchen. This can be achieved by promoting radical and women 

sensitive interpretation of religion and sexuality.  

5. Lastly, there is the need for female legislators at the federal and state level to sponsor bills 

that will make it a crime to harass a woman or a girl child linguistically and physically on the 

bases of her sex.  

 

 

 

 

 



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163               Eze & Ezenwa-Ohaeto  

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