Abstract
Igbo culture and worldviews are expressed through language. Igbo novelists utilise this medium to convey the significance of gender in their works. Consequently, gender domination in the Igbo cultural milieu is reflected in its literary texts. This paper examines the linguistic portrayal of male and female genders in an early post-war Igbo novel, Nzeakọ’s Nkọlị (1973), and a later post-war Igbo novel, Ofomata’s Onye Chi Ya Akwatughị (2000). The paper investigates how these novelists, writing at varied periods, portray the female gender and whether there is any change in the portrayal. The novels are deliberately selected and analysed using a content analysis technique grounded in feminist theory. The study finds that the language of the two novels is androcentric. Nzeakọ and Ofomata use derogatory names to depict women as second-class citizens, demons, and disruptors of family peace. While Nzeakọ depicts women as devilish, evil-doers, and grossly dependent, Ofomata shows women as those who are unfit for education. Even though Ofomata portrays women negatively, he depicts their dexterity and courage in their attempts to achieve their aims in contemporary society. He shows the importance of sisterhood in women’s struggle for liberation in a patriarchal society. Contemporary male and female writers should create women whose character and personality are positive to depict the reality of women in society.
Keywords
Women, Other, Gender, Bias, Male-Authored Igbo Literature
Citations
IRE Journals:
Ebele Eucharia Okafor, Iwu Ikwubuzo "Women as ‘Other’: Gender Bias in Male-Authored Igbo Literature" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 10 2026 Page 1138-1149
IEEE:
Ebele Eucharia Okafor, Iwu Ikwubuzo
"Women as ‘Other’: Gender Bias in Male-Authored Igbo Literature" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(10)
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