Typical African men would find the notion of being equal to women laughable

From the 4th to 15th of September 1995 in the ancient city of Beijing China, millions of women all over the world gathered. Their mission was the emancipation of the ordinary woman. For 11 days the women planned, plotted and took decisions that would affect the lives of women all over the world, Africa inclusive.

After that, they left, confident in their belief that with the implementation of their magic plans the world would hand them the same privileges it accorded the man, after all that was what the blacks did and got racial equality.

This year, 2015, makes it 20 years since that monumental conference. Now, the question is: how far is gender equality in Africa.

My answer: not far... In fact, there seems to be no movement at all.

What does gender equality seek to achieve? It seeks to establish genuine equal opportunities for men and women in both their contribution to and benefits from Africa's economic transformation and things such as ownership of property, equal remuneration and the likes.

The typical African man would find the notion of a woman being equal to him laughable. That is because he is African and this is Africa. Africa where a wife is considered part of her husband's property, subject to his whims; where a young girl's worth is the amount of her bride price.

This is Africa. In Africa there is no such thing as gender equality, it is a man man's world. We are a very cultural people and our culture almost expressly forbids a woman from being equal with a man.

The white man sailed from his land and brought his religion with him. The male folks were happy when they opened their bibles and saw that that god of the white man also supported their subjugation of the females – man was created first and Eve who bit the apple that doomed humanity

With God on their side, all they needed was complete.

Therefore, for anyone to say that gender equality in Africa is a reality is to twist of the truth.

According to a UN survey in 2001, more women were seen leaving executive positions than entering it. Also, in the recent Forbes list of wealthiest people in Africa, only two were female. In a ratio of 2:18, there is no equality.

It is not just enough for the female folk to ask us for equality, wave their wands and expect change.

The woman who wants the same amount of remuneration as the male would have to work just as hard, pick up her own bills, and open the car doors herself-equality extends to those areas.

It has become clear that, if women want equality, nobody will hand it over.

They have to walk up and take it themselves because that is what a man would do.

This article was written by Chizoma Emeka, a first year student of European Studies at the University of Ibadan.