Abstract: 
stThe 21  century has been bombarded with different types 

of ideologies, from relativism to secularism and one of the 
most pressing of them today is the wave of feminism, 
although feminist ideology is not alien to humanity, or to 
the Nigerian society particularly through neo-
colonialism and the advancement of social media, while 
Africans are intertwined with their cultural practices and 
traditions, which assigns to every individual their roles in 
the society, feminism tends to reshape their pattern of 
thought and history specically in a male-dominated 
world, from politics to business and even religion. Hence, 
Plato postulates his idea of women from the background 
of an Athenian civilization which relegates the 
signicance of women in the polis, as an Athenian, he 
argues alongside the trend of the city, by showing the 
difference in the nature, role and prociency of women in 
the development of the society on the one hand, while on 
the other hand, he argues against the waves of trend on 
gender by endorsing a complementary society between 
men and women. Therefore, this paper seeks to promote 
the role of women in the Nigerian society, in the limelight 
of Plato's advocacy for gender equality and women 
rights, it seeks to maintain that women have a role in the 

EXPLORING PLATO'S IDEA OF WOMEN 
IN THE NIGERIAN CONTEXT

Gregory Ebalu OGBENIKA, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy, Seminary of All Saints, 

Uhiele – Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.
oshokwe67@gmail.com



growth and development of the nation and these roles 
must be nurtured and not subjugated, and these tasks go 
hand in hand with their role in the formation of the family, 
aimed towards creating a peaceful family and an ordered 
society. 
 

Keywords: Plato, Feminism, Women, Nigerian Society, Genital 
Mutilation.

 
Introduction
The ability of a nation to harness every facet of human resource at its 
disposal is an index to its growth and development, it is clear that 
Women in most part of the world today enjoy the freedom and rights 
that many dreamed of particularly in the political representation and 
exercise of universal adult suffrage. This is because in the past, 
women were relegated to the background in political representation 
in the world, and the outcry of some feminists, has contributed to 
some of the preferential treatments women enjoy today. But, there are 
areas where we still experience women marginalization, particularly 
in Africa where our culture is predicated on the premise of patriarchy 
and other patrilineal ideologies which has also become the bane for 
women's representation. 
 This paper, therefore, seeks to examine Plato's view of 
women and how women can be empowered in Nigeria, it also 
condemns discriminatory practices on the female gender as 
experienced in some tribes in Nigeria, which tend to hamper the 
physiological and social status of women and in the long run cripples 
development. It seeks to proffer a philosophy of complementarity in 
governance, economic and social sphere between both sexes, 
particularly in areas where women are neglected. It, however, warns 
against gender wars and struggles that seek superiority of one gender 
over another. 
 The methodological framework of this paper begins by 
exposing Plato's views on the origin of the sexes which gives a 
background of his appraisal for women as equal with men. It also 
questions and explicates Plato as being a Feminists due to his 

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 121



contrasting views about them, after which the paper proceeds to 
aligns its view of women and its relevance to the Nigerian society 
particularly in the areas where women are marginalized and treated 
inhumanely. The key point of this paper is the philosophy of 
complementarity, which emphasizes the harmonizing role between 
men and women in the development of the society.
 
Plato's Origin of Sexes
The origin of mankind has created a perpetual divide among scholars 
and philosophers, while Evolution ascribes the origin of man to Apes, 
Christianity on the other hand, attributes the origin of mankind, from 
the creative power of God, who made them Male and Female. 
Meanwhile, Plato in his account of the origin of humanity presents a 
mythic account, he opines that male and female were like 
hermaphrodites with both sexes before the gods (Zeus) split each 
person in half way. There are two basic reasons why the gods cause 
this separation. The rst reason is to moderate or restraint the excess 
in these hermaphrodites (the rst humans) that sometimes run 
contrary to the will of the gods. The second, however, is to make these 
hermaphrodites procreate as male and female. This is clearly 
expressed in the symposium:

...they were dying out when in pity for them Zeus devised 
a new plan: he turned their genitals around to the front, for 
this had not always been their position, and they sowed 
their seed no longer, as hitherto, like grasshoppers in the 
ground, but inside one another; and he effected this 
transposition, and caused male to generate in the female, 
in order that their mutual embraces might be procreative, 
in this case of man joining woman, and that thus the race 
be continued,...so ancient is the desire for one another that 
is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, trying to 
make one of two and healing the state of man. Each of us, 
sliced in two like a at sh, is but half of a human form 

122 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



1
one, two. And each is looking for his other half.

 
Plato, therefore, believes that male and females are from the same 
source. This, therefore, gives a background to Plato's view of women 
and stretches to the point of the advocacy for equal treatment of both 
sexes against any form of discrimination and marginalization. 
 
The Concept of Feminism
One of the most talked about issues in the world today is feminism 
which is rooted in the belief that women are subjugated, oppressed 
and marginalized in the society. George Ukagba expresses that 
feminism is both a theoretical concept and a practical movement or 

2 
view of life, as a movement feminism has a history, which can be 
traced to France, while as a theoretical concept popular Nigerian 
Novelist and feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, sees feminism as 

3 
a belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. In 
the same vein, the new International Webster's Comprehensive 
Dictionary, denes Feminism as a doctrine which supports and 
encourages the equality of gender (male and female) and advocates 

4
equal social, political, religious and economical right of women.
 Meanwhile, feminism on one hand aims specically at 
addressing issues of gender inequality. Gender inequality centers on 
the idea that men and women are not equal. This distinction stems 
from socially constructed beliefs that permeate through cultural and 
religious lines. On the other hand, feminism champions gender 
equality of which Dickson Ekpe, refers to as a situation where women 
and men having equal conditions for realizing their full rights and 
potentials, are able to contribute equally to national, political, 

1Plato, Symposium, in Benjamin Jowett (transl.) Selected Dialogues of Plato. New 
York: Modern Library Paperback Publication, 2001, 191c.d.
2George Ukagba, “Feminism in Historicism: A Critical Perspective”, in George 
Ukagba et al. (eds.), The Kpim of Feminism: Issues and Women in a Changing 
World. Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2010, 29.
3Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We should all Be Feminists, New York: Anchor 
Books, 2012, 47. 
4The New International Webster's comprehensive Dictionary of the English 
Language, Chicago: Deluxe, Encyclopedic Edition, 1971, 456.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 123



economic, social and cultural development and benet equally from 
5

the results.  Further, William Lawhead, exposes two categories of 
feminism, namely the liberal feminists and radical feminists, the 
former do not advocate for the elimination of the current social 
structures, but aims at full intellectual and political participation of 
women in the society, while the latter seek an abolition of the current 

6social structure which they perceive is controlled by men.
 However, the categorization of feminist does not only 
involves the female gender, rather male individuals have indicated to 
be feminist, because feminism as is an embracing concept of both 
sexes, aims at removing the excesses of one gender over another. 
 
Is a Plato Feminist?
Plato creates a divide in his thought on women, which generates a 
dispute whether he is a feminist or not, taking into cognizance his 
dicey views about women, whereas, same cannot be said about 
Aristotle, who considers women to be both biologically and 
intellectually inferior to men. For instance, in the Republic, Plato 

7asserts “that a woman is inferior to a man.”  He further stated that 
women can be involved in music, poetry, training and even war, but 
the lighter part must be assigned to them because of the weakness of 

8their sex.  Also, Plato agreed that a woman by nature is very different 
from a man, as a result he agreed that different work should be 

9 
assigned to a man and a woman each in accordance with its nature.
Plato's suggestion that a good and a brave man should have more 
marriages available to him and should be selected for such things 
more frequently than the others and that he will beget as many 

5Dickson Ekpe, et al, “Women, Gender Equality in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis of 
Socio-Economic and Political Gender Issues”, in Journal of Research in Peace, 
Gender and Development (JRPGD), 2014, Vol. 4 (1), 16.
6William F. Lawhead, The Voyage of Discovery. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson 
Learning, 2002, 564.
7Plato, “The Republic”, Book V, B. Jowett (trans.), in The Dialogues of Plato. Vol. 
1, New York: Macmillan Publication, 1937, 451e
 8Plato, “Republic”,  452a
 9Plato, “Republic”,  453b

124 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



10
children as possible,  depicts his inconsistency in his view on 
women. 
 Another major reason why the above question is imminent is 
his seemingly contradictory view on the origin of women. According 
to him, 

All male-born humans who lived lives of cowardice and 
injustice were reborn in the second generation as women. 
And this explains why at that time the gods fashioned the 
desire for sexual union by constructing one ensouled 

11living thing in us as well as another one in women.

But in the Symposium, Plato claimed that the male and female are 
from the same origin and that they are equal half searching for the 

12other.  Placing his earlier statement on the origin of women side-by-
side with the latter brings to bare the inconsistency in his view about 
women.  For Aristotle in his Politics, “The relation of male to female 

13is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and ruler to ruled”.  In 
contrast to this Aristotelian view, Plato in the Republic, Book V,  has 
strong feminist views about women as evident from his educational 
theory where he advocated equality between men and women 
suggesting that women should be educated for their roles in the 

14
society.
 Meanwhile, this marginalization of the female gender can be 
beautifully traced to the Golden Age of Philosophy. The Athenian 
society was premised on male superiority, of which Plato made 
attempts to swim against the currents, As Elon VanHeerst notes, 
“Torn by tradition that told him women were not people by the same 

 10Plato, “Republic”,  468c
11Plato, “Timaeus”, Book V, B. Jowett (trans.), in The Dialogues of Plato. Vol. 1, 
New York: Macmillan Publication, 1937, 90e
12Cf. Plato, “Symposium”, Book V, B. Jowett (trans.), in The Dialogues of Plato. 
Vol. 1, New York: Macmillan Publication, 1937, 190-192
13Aristotle, The Politics. Translated by C.D.C. Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett 
Publishing, 1998, P. 1245,b12 
14Plato, “Republic”, Book V, B. Jowett (trans.), in The Dialogues of Plato. Vol. 1, 
New York: Macmillan Publication, 1937, 451e.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 125



standards as men, and logic and reason that told him otherwise, Plato 
15

spoke for those who, at the time, had a very quiet voice”.  Plato 
juxtaposes the masculine superiority, and creates an avenue for 
complementarity in the affairs of the states between the sexes.
 Although, Plato's position on women and his feminist 
philosophy is not very lucid, he argues as an Athenian, inuenced by 
the activities of the polis and neglects the role of women in the open 
society, while also, as a philosopher, in tackling the issues prevalent 
in the city as regarding women and their representation gives them a 
bit of voice, he tends to argue in the position where other philosophers 
argued against, which gives him credit for his philosophical instinct. 
However, a clear understanding of Plato's Philosophy as evident in 
his Republic Book V, will be of great importance in ascertaining 
whether Plato was a feminist or not. Plato's inquiry of the nature of 
women is buttressed in his conversation with Glaucon; the beginning 
of the conversation is on what women can do. In the Republic, 
although, he is of the opinion that women are weaker physically, 
however, they should be given the same education as the men, since 

16they are capable of doing the same thing as the men.
� In response to the above question that women are generally 
weaker in comparison with men. Plato responded to the view of 
Glaucon about the inferiority of women when he opined:

You are quite right, Glaucon in maintaining the general 
inferiority of the female sex: although many women are in 
many things superior to men, yet on the whole what you 
say is true. And if so, my friend, I said, there is no special 
faculty of administration in a state which a woman has 
because she is a woman, or which a man has by virtue of 
his sex, but the gifts of nature are diffused in both; all the 

15Elon VanHeerst (1999), 'Feminism and Plato', http://facstaff.elon.edu/ 
sullivan/femplato.htm  Accessed on March, 3rd, 2019
16Plato, Republic (Book V), B. Jowett (trans.), in the Dialogues of Plato. Vol. 1, 
451d&e

126 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



pursuits of male are the pursuits of women also, but in all 
17

of them a woman is inferior to a man.

This inferiority of female mentioned by Plato above is only about 
their physical weakness. However, this does not mean that Plato was 
not fully aware of the inequality that exists between men and women 
of his age. In fact, Plato saw this inequality as a violation of nature 
when he asserts.

The law which we then enacted was agreeable to nature, 
and therefore not impossibility or mere aspiration; and the 
contrary practice, which prevails present, is in reality a 

18
violation of nature.

 
He also opines that women can be involved in music, poetry, physical 
training and even war but the lighter part must be assigned to them 
because of the weakness of their sex. One aspect of his view on the 
physical training that looks awkward was his recommendation that 
women should be stripped before involvement. This further shows the 
inuence of his society on him although; he desires that both men and 
women should go through the same process of growth 
� Therefore, Alison Mary Jaggar, appraised the above position 
of Plato by noting that even though Plato seem sometimes 
inconsistencies in his representation of women; his views are ahead 
of his age. Also, Plato seems to be saying that the ultimate goal for 
any person is manliness, but it is possible for a soul in a female body 
to achieve it through a philosophy that is brought about by 

19
education.  Also, looking at the appellation given to Plato by most of 
the feminist in contrast to Aristotle whom the writers view as an anti-
feminist and a critical examination of the ontological status of Plato 
wanting to speak for women, one cannot just but conclude that Plato 

 17Ibid, 455d &e.
 18Ibid, 456c.
19Alison M. Jaggar, Feminist Politics and Human Nature, Lanham: Rowman & 
Allanheld Publishers, 1983, 5.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 127



does not just have feminist tendencies but above all, feminism is 
found in Plato's Philosophy. In a nutshell, what is signicant in Plato 
as against other Athenian thinkers is his advocacy for the equality of 
sexes in the affairs of the society, which is also encouraged in our 
world today. Hence, in the next section, this paper shall examine its 
relevance to the Nigerian society, and how women can help curb out 
backwardness in development if given the same opportunity and 
treated the same way as their male counterpart.
 
Plato's Views and the Nigerian Society
It is glaring that in Nigeria today, women are treated as second class 
citizens, they do not equal their male counterparts in the area of social 
and economic activities and most of all in politics. These various 
areas of women under-representation are detrimental to the growth of 
the nation. Meanwhile, what appears to be more striking are the 
barbaric and inhumane discrimination of women. Olu Awofeso, 
notes that many have unveiled the travail of the female gender 
humiliation, manipulation, and marginalization through a number of 
culturally biased norms and gender practices which have culminated 
into systematic institutionalization of male superiority over the 

20female.  Consequently, this paper elaborates on the effect of Plato's 
philosophy on Women and how it can be benecial in promoting the 
dignity of the women in Nigeria and placing them on the same 
pedestal with their male counterparts.
 
Women Empowerment and Education: 
Women Empowerment is one of the most talked about issues in our 
contemporary era, particularly in Africa and Nigeria alike. This stems 
from the important and signicant role empowered women have been 
able to contribute to the society. In Nigeria for example, women such 
as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and her exploits as the rst female nance 
minister of Nigeria and coordinating minister reafrms the abilities 

20Olu Awofeso, et al, “Gender and Political Participation in Nigeria: A Cultural 
Perspective”, in Journal Research in Peace, Gender and Development (JRPGD). 
Vol 4, September, 2014, 105.

128 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



of women. Iweala went on to become the managing director of the 
World Bank (2007-2011) and she was also named an independent 
non-executive director at the Standard Chartered Plc in the United 
Kingdom. Dora Nkem Akunyili, who redened the face of  
NAFDAC, (National Agency for Food and Drugs Admistration and 
Control), Prof Grace Alele Willims Mariam Ciroma, Obiageli 
Ezekwesili, and et cetera, have shown that women can be at the fore 
front of all round nation building, transformation and growth. 

�
Many Nigerians believe that educating the Girl-Child is a waste of 
resources, when they will be married and their expertise not put into 
use, or they will become over less concerned about marriage. 
Adichie, wrote in We Should All Be Feminists that:

We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. 
You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. 
Otherwise, you would threaten the man. Because I am 
female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected 
to make my life choices always keeping in mind that 
marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a 
source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we 
teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don't teach boys 
the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors 
not for jobs or accomplishments, which I think can be a 

21good thing, but for the attention of men.
�  

One of the Rights to Life is the Right to Education, it is also one of the 
fundamental human rights of every individual, but experience has 
shown that some people have been infringed of this Right, therefore, 
they lack not just educational qualication, but also the ability to 
compete with their peers in major facets of mankind. This 
subjugation is mostly, tended towards the female gender, which has 
given rise to the “Education for the Girl-Child” advocacy. 
� Meanwhile, the whole idea of women empowerment stems 

21Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We should all Be Feminists, 18.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 129



st
from the Education of the Girl-Child. It is appalling that in the 21  
Century, there are still arguments of the Right of the Girl-Child to 
Education, which was an argument prevalent in the Greek City State, 
which Plato advocates for in his Educational Theory. Buttressing this 
further, Anne Dickson notes that Plato showed the fact that both men 
and women have the same essential nature and worth; thus, they 

22should receive equal education.  Education is paramount to 
development and growth of any sort, the educational theory of Plato 
is very relevant to Nigeria since it was emphasized by Plato that all 
citizens, irrespective of their sexes, be educated. 
� While Plato views that some women have the capacity to 
become philosophers, it is important to note that every individual 
including the woman has something to offer to the societal 
development if given good education and equal opportunities to 
display their potentials, as an anonymous author states “if you 
educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a 
woman, you educate a nation,” this indicates therefore, that women 
have the potentialities to develop not just their family, but the entire 
community which can be best realized if empowered with the 
sufcient aid and most importantly the opportunity to sound 
education.
 
Political Participation and Representation in Governance: 
Nigerian political scene has not been gender neutral, and her politics 
is characterized by patriarchism which in the words of Heywood 

23 generally connotes the rule by men. Therefore, Olu Awofeso, notes 
that although women were politically active and relatively less 
exclusive in decision making process in many pre-colonial societies, 
the advent of colonial administration with its anti-woman policies, 
gradually transformed a hitherto politically gender unbiased to a 

22Anne Dickson, “Anatomy and Destiny: The Role of Biology in Plato's Views of 
Women” as quoted in Carol C. Gould and Marx W. Wartofsky, eds., Women and 
Philosophy: Toward a Theory of Liberation. New York: Putnam's Publication, 
1980, 45-46.
23A. Heywood, Politics, New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2007, 98.

130 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



24
predominantly male dominated political scene.  Women today are 
almost withdrawn to the spectatorship roles in politicking, which 
includes wearing of party badges, caps, uniforms, or emblems, 
running errands for political leaders, voting at elections, et cetera. In 
all of these activities, women have been considerably subdued in 
Nigeria's political affairs, therefore, several factors and strategies 
need to be in place to correct this anomaly. These includes funding 
women perception of politics in Nigeria, political violence during 
election, lack of self-condence on the part of women, women's 
marginalization in party leadership, illiteracy and low educational 
status of women, as well as cultural and religious discrimination have 
been identied by scholars as inhibitory factors to women political 

25
representation.  As such women “have been castigated and 
calculatedly kept away from the course of civilization, even much 

26farther from their roles in government”.
 Also, while Plato views that “women could be equally suited 

27
to the position of guardian as their male counterparts.” . The 
Nigerian constitution reveals some deciency in the electoral 
processes entrenched therein which are gender insensitive.  Hence, 
Adichie succinctly expresses that in the world we live in today, as 
against the world in earliest times, the person more qualied to lead is 
not the person who is most physically strong. She notes also that the 
persons more qualied to lead should be the more intelligent, the 
more knowledgeable, the more creative, the more innovative, and 

28there are no hormones for these attributes.  Therefore, the major 
strategies, that would be effective in ensuring that there is improved 

24Olu Awofeso, et al, “Gender and Political Participation in Nigeria: A Cultural 
Perspective”, 105.
25A. A. Terwase, (ed.), “Women in Politics and Decision Making in Nigeria: 
Challenges and Prospects”, in European Journal of Business and Social Science.  
Vol. 2, No. 8, November, 2013, 52.
26I. A. Okpanachi, “A Philosophical Case for Proportionate Representation of 
Women in Governance in Africa: The Nigerian Example” in Enwisdomization 
Journal. Vol. 5, No. 3. 2013, 183-184.
27M. Adair, “Plato's View of the Wandering Uterus” in Classical Journal, 91.2, 
1995, Pp.153-164
28Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We should all Be Feminists, 10.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 131



participation of women in politics and leadership positions in line 
with what Plato advocates for is to review the Nigeria constitution 
and revisit the electoral processes and the positions allotted to women 
and also removing the ills of violence that militate against women in 
politics. 
 More so, in Nigeria the overwhelming percentage of the 
upper hierarchical positioning in politics and the high rate of 
corruption is the virtual exclusion of women from key institutions of 

29
government,  coupled with the difculties in their abilities to get into 
power. Hence, Eguavoen, suggests that to achieve better 
representation of women in Nigeria's politics. “Nigeria should 
consider seriously the use of quota to help integrate the women into 
policy/decision making process of the country. This quota system 

30will aim at giving more powers to women”,  not just in politics but 
also in other areas of the Nigerian society.
 
The Abolition of Some Gender-Specic Traditional Practices 
Aimed at Women: 
There still exist some traditional views and customary practices, 
some of which are unwritten, that impedes the involvement of 
women in Nigeria in the social sphere and are even an infringement to 

sttheir human dignity. Thus, Nigerians cannot be said to live in the 21  
century and champion cultural ideas that are barbaric and inhumane, 
practices which are discriminatory and create marginalization, 
example of which is the obnoxious widowhood practices. Emeka 
Martins Uchendu commenting on it states the following:

There are places in the Nigerian society that take delight in 
seeing women suffer. You can imagine that after the 
demise of a man, his wife is kicked out as a chicken and 
everything she ever worked with her husband is taken, 

29I. A. Okpanachi, “A Philosophical Case for Proportionate Representation of 
Women in Governance in Africa: The Nigerian Example” 187-188.
30Agatha Eguavoen, Tension and Contentions in Gender Debates: Natured or 
Nurtured, Ekpoma:  Ambrose Alli University Press, 2017, 48.

132 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



whether she had children or not is not the issue… widows 
are denied of the rights of the property of their husband 
when the man dies. Some widows die in silence not 
knowing what to do or not having the wherewithal to go to 
court. In some areas women who lost their husband are 

31
made to mourn for a long time.

 
Agatha Eguavoen adds that “Women are even forced to eat with the 
dead body of her spouse or drink the water used in washing the corpse 

32just to prove her innocence,  whereas, when a man loses his wife, he 
is not made to go through such suffering and in some cases, does not 
even mourn his wife for a reasonable period before contracting 
another marriage. Thus the act of widowhood discrimination should 
be jettisoned in whatever manner, the government has a role to play in 
curbing it from the society, by enacting laws which will protect 
widows and charge the traditional rulers in safeguarding such laws, 
such local practices impede on the dignity of the human person and 
women in particular. 
� Also, in the traditional African setting, men were made to 
marry so many wives and give birth to many children, indeed having 
a large family was seen as a blessing and it also had an agricultural 
advantage, whereby a large area of land can be cultivated within a 
short time, which will increase their agricultural output. While it was 
the husband's duty to provide what was needed in the family, it was 
the wife's (wives) duty to ensure the welfare of their children. But 
today, polygamy in some places in Nigeria has taken another form, 
women now serve as baby machines, ensure the provision of social 
amenities in the family and provide for their children's needs. In 
some polygamous families, the women work tirelessly, while the 
man does nothing to support the family even when they are 
physically able to do different jobs, but rather rely on the output of his 

31Emeka Martin Uchedu, “Societal Discrimination against Women in the South 
East Zone in Nigeria”, in George Ukagba et al. (eds.), The Kpim of Feminism: 
Issues and Women in a Changing World. Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2010, 150.
32Agatha Eguavoen, Tension and Contentions in Gender Debates: Natured or 
Nurtured. P.27

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 133



wives, with the conception that they own their wives (wife) and 
command them at will. Men who are involved in such act should be 
corrected by the society, it behooves on both the man and woman to 
take care of the family particularly in cases of polygamy. 
 One other obnoxious practice is the issue of child marriage, 
which many writers have considered to be pseudo marriage or rape 
marriage. This is widely practiced in the Northern part of Nigeria. A 
child is any person under the age of 18 years of age, while Child 

33
marriage is dened as any marriage to an underage girl  Eguavoen 
went on to assert that Section 29(4)(b) of the 1999 Nigeria 
Constitution which deems a married underage girl as an adult has not 
been abrogated, the consequence is that a man can marry an underage 
and seek refuge in that section of the law, opining that the girl is an 

34 adult. Child marriage is not different from raping a child, it has 
increased the rate of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) in Nigeria, with 
most percentage in the North and also increase Maternal Mortality 
Rate (MMR) because the physiological and phsycological make up 
of a child is not compatible to the hormonal changes which occurs in 
the body. The government need to repeal Section 29(4)(b) of the 
Constitution and punish those who practice such act. This also leads 
to the end of the education of such a child in most cases, while the 
decision to enter into marriage is not by consent, but by force or in 
some cases as gift, reward or even as means of debt servicing. 
 
Curbing Violence against Women:
Violence is an ambiguous concept, according to Hannah Skoda, 
“violence encompasses an enormous range of phenomena, from 
subtle structural exclusion or moulding of particular groups, to verbal 
manipulation, to physical damage done by one human being to 

35another” It means the behavior involving physical force intended to 
hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. The Cambridge 

33Ibid, 70.
34Ibid. 
35H. Skoda, Medieval Violence: Physical Brutality in Northern France 
1270–1330.United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013, 2.

134 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



Dictionary of Philosophy, distinguishes two forms of violence: 
Physical and Psychological violence. Physical violence is the use of 
force to cause harm or destruction. Psychological violence is the 
causing of severe mental or emotional harm, as through humiliation 

36
or deprivation whether using force or not.
 Violence against women is an issue that is prevalent in the 
Nigerian Society, while violence is condemned on one hand as 
inhumane it is also carried out simultaneously on the other hand. Men 
violence against woman is so common in Nigeria thus, Eguavoen 
explicates four ways in which violence against women takes place, 
which are physical, physiological, economic and social violence. 
Firstly, physical violence involves a physical harm on a woman such 
as wife battering, sexual abuse of any form, female genital mutilation 

37rites and widowhood obnoxious practices.  Secondly, psychological 
violence, which affect the psyche of the woman as a result of 
dehumanizing act such as wife inheritance, preference of the male 

38
over female children, intimidation and trafcking of women.  
Thirdly, economic violence which occurs when a woman has no 
means of livelihood and as such she is treated by her husband as a 
slave or deprived of funds particularly when she has no male (or any) 

39child.  Lastly, social and sexual violence, which deprives women 
from reproductive right as men dictates the family size and makes 

40
decision.  Thus, these violent conducts against women should be 
stopped, it is not just dehumanizing but has also led to the death of 
many women.
 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is one of the most 
unreported crimes against women in Nigeria. The World Health 
Organization denes FGM as any female procedure involving partial 
or total removal of female genitalia or other injury to the female 

36R. L Holmes,  “Violence”, in Robert Audi (ed.), the Cambridge Dictionary of 
Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, 829.
37Agatha Eguavoen, Tension and Contentions in Gender Debates: Natured or 
Nurtured. 27.
38Ibid, 28.
39Ibid, 28-29.
40Ibid, 29.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 135



genital organs for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reason 
(2008). Genital cutting according to Patrick Iroegbu, arise from 
social, religious and bodily point of view to preserve virginity, 
enhance femininity, mark ethic boundaries, and limit women 

41
excessive drive. It is regarded as a vehicle for gender indoctrination.
 While FGM is believed to curb promiscuity among females 
by reducing their desire for sex, nothing of such is done to reduce 
male sexual pleasure, therefore, this practice should be completely 
eradicated, for the female reproductive physiology is not appropriate 
for circumcision, hence, it is a mutilation and not circumcision as 

42compared to the male organ.  The person involved is also prone to 
contracting blood transmitted diseases. In all, FGM should be 
abrogated and jettisoned because it is a crime against women and it 
disgures their bodily composition.  

 
Evaluation
To understand Plato's argument on the complementary roles between 
male and female in the society, one needs to have a background of his 
origin of sexes, on which he argues that both spring from a divided 
unit and thus are equal, not minding their strength or biological make 
up. Plato further advocates for equality in education between both 
sexes and women as guardian in the society. The anti-feminist aspect 
of Plato's view on women is his argument that the brave man is to 
have more wives than others. This is because, Plato was inuenced by 
the trend in his society, this anti-feminist view of Plato is today 
conceived as archaic in our society, although it is practiced in some 
cultures in Nigeria, but it is dehumanizing to present a human person 
as a gift, because it reduces the dignity of the person. Meanwhile, 
Plato's advocacy for equality of sexes is laudable particularly in 

41Patrick Iroegbu, “Genital Culture and Circumcision Law: Issue of Re-
presentation in Global Centres”, in George Ukagba et al. (eds.), The Kpim of 
Feminism: Issues and Women in a Changing World, Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 
2010, 547.
42Agatha Eguavoen, Tension and Contentions in Gender Debates: Natured or 
Nurtured. 77.

136 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



Nigeria social-political and economic situation, but their functions in 
the state and the society should be complementary and not 
competitive.
 This understanding that we are made to complement each 
other would quell to a large extent the unnecessary, gender wars that 
plagues society and seeks superiority. There are areas were women 
are better in than the men. There are also areas were men ourish 
more than women, for instance the area of military might where 
physical strength is needed. Harnessing these differences for the 
good of all, will be of invaluable help to national growth. The saying 
therefore, that the best man for the job is a woman, will therefore 
assume a healthy meaning when viewed through the lenses of 
complementarity and unity. Similarly, Arthurs Conari Dayler 
summarized this when he opines:

Nature made women and men very different from each 
other in the way they think, act, and reason. These 
differences were designed to be complementary and not 
devise... I have seen too much not to know that the 
impression of a woman can be more valuable than the 

43
conclusion of an analytical reasoning

Moreso, in as much as this paper advocates for the equality of both 
sexes, and the education of women as parallel to that of men, it does 
not champion the neglect of their specic duties, particularly in the 
area of the family. Robert Sarah expresses that many women now 
have access to education… it is important that women should be able 

44to have a job that is compatible with motherhood.  While the duties 
of tending their children, performing household chores and their roles 
as mothers in the family are been conceived by the radical feminist as 
oppression of women, Elvis Imadon, argues against that, he views 
that the African women in the real sense do not see these functions as 
oppression, rather they see it as their role in the family, which 

43M. Munroe, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Women. USA: Library of 
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication, 2001, 143.
44Robert Sarah, God or Nothing: A conversation with Nicolas Diat, San Francsico: 
Ignatius Press, 2015, 115.

Exploring Plato's Idea of Women in the Nigerian Context   | 137



complements the role of others in the society. He argues also that it is 
the Westerners that conceive it as oppression all with the aim of 
removing the institution of marriage and family in the society.  
Hence, the African woman should not jettison the beauty of 
complementarity in the family in performing their duties alongside 
that of their husbands, as this aspect of family role is also evident in 
Plato, who does not see the bearing of children as a problem in the 

45
education of women, nor is it a prevention to their role as guardian.
 Meanwhile, Obioma Dies, also argues against radical 
feminism, he expresses that it tends to create an articial things or 
situation that makes women act un-natural in order to t well into 
their own society, they need no sort of liberation, what they need is a 
sort of recognition of what they can offer to the family, society and 

46nation.  For him, women should not abandon their natural 
47motherhood, while giving their best to development.  It is pertinent 

to restate that the obnoxious cultural practice that are detrimental to 
women should be abolished and laws should not just be created but 
enforced and whosoever is found wanting should face the 
consequences. 
 
Conclusion
Issues of Gender inequality or equality will continue to be a debate if 
both sexes do not recognize that they are from the same source as 
explicated by Plato and shown in this paper. More so, the origin of 
humanity as Plato conceives gives a background towards the need for 
both sexes to complement each other. This advocacy for 
complementation is more pressing in our world today. This paper also 
advocates for the elimination of barbaric and inhumane practices 
imposed on women in the Nigerian society which are detrimental to 
the dignity of the human person, it also promotes the call for the 
eradication of such acts and that women be empowered politically, 

45Plato, Republic (Book V), B. Jowett (trans.), in the Dialogues of Plato. Vol. 1, 451d 
&e.
46Dies Obi, “The Role of African Women in Nation Building”, in George Ukagba et al. 
(eds.), The Kpim of Feminism: Issues and Women in a Changing World. Victoria: 
Trafford Publishing, 2010, 173.
47Ibid.

138 |    Ekpoma Review, Volume. 7, 2020   



socially and economically, while at the center of this empowerment is 
the education of the Girl-Child which has the potency to curb the ills 
associated with women in the society. This paper subscribes to 
moderate feminism that creates a harmonious balance between 
liberal feminism and radical feminism. Moderate feminism favours 
complementarity and the elimination of many of the obnoxious and 
anachronistic practices that tend to dehumanize the status of women 
in the Nigerian society. 

 One pertinent problem faced in the society today is the 
incessant call by the radical feminists to create a new order in gender, 
which has led to some abhorrent act in the society. In as much as this 
paper champions the abolition of inhumane conditions on the female 
gender by their male counterpart, it is also important to express that 
this paper condemns the self-inicted violence some females inict 
on themselves. Many young girls now conceive a negative 
conception of the ownership of their body, it has now become as 
means for pleasure and livelihood, they feel that they can do whatever 
they want with their bodies and this has given rise to prostitution, 
high rate of contraceptives and abortion. They use popular phrases 
such as “Your money, my body” “Small girl, with a big god” etc., 
which promotes immorality and it is due to the unfavourable call for 
the emancipation of women backed by the negative conception of 
what feminism stand for, this emancipation should rather strive 
towards complementarity.
 In conclusion, this paper proposes a philosophy of 
complementarity where the women in society complement the men 
by providing their own quota of intelligence, organizational skills 
and competence in social, economic, moral, governance and 
leadership sphere. The areas where women have fared and has done 
well must be highlighted and more women should be drafted into 
those positions. This philosophy of complementarity seeks to 
reasserts that a man is not better than a woman and a woman is not 
better than the man, but rather they complement each other as a result 
of the differences in their individual, logical, physiological and 
psychological structure tailored and made so that the one realizes that 
there is need for the other.

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