COVID-19, Norms, and Discrimination against Female Gender in Nigeria: Focus on Implications for Mental Health Counselling

Authors

  • Chinedu Hilary Joseph Department of Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
  • Henrietta Ijeoma Alika Department of Educational Evaluation and Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Nigeria
  • Anikelechi Ijeoma Genevieve Department of Integrated Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • T.D. Thobejane University of Venda, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2021.09.01.3

Keywords:

Covid-19, Gender, Discrimination, Mental Health, counselling, Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak is inflicting different societies of the world with an untold and unprecedented hardship. However, the extent of impacts is bound to differ across groups, gender, economies, and countries. Given how the pandemic affects particular groups, this paper focuses on girls/young women and how Covid-19 may further strengthen gender norms and discriminations as risk factors of their mental health. In some societies, right from birth, the life experiences of the female child differ from the male child. At every stage of development, girls are more likely than boys to confront a host of challenges associated with discrimination and norms, which are gender-based. With the effects of the current pandemic evident in reduced access to health care, education, teenage pregnancy, and being vulnerable, young women and girls are more at the receiving end of their impacts. These stand as hindrances to the girl child's mental health because they tend to constitute anxiety, depression, self-harm, or even suicide and weakens her will power to make proper adjustment to life issues. This paper concludes that given that the impacts of COVID-19 are not gender-blind (affecting both genders), therefore the designing policy responses to the current pandemic should not be either. As we all continue to face this overwhelming Covid-19 pandemic, the study recommends that the vulnerable (especially girls and young women) should not be neglected or ignored. This is possible by not forgetting the inequalities that may worsen the conditions of girls because of the crisis

References

World Health Organization, WHO, Gender and women’s mental health 2019. Retrieved from www.who.int/mental-health/prevention/genderwomen/en/ on March 5th, 2019.

Overseas Development Institute, ODI, Social norms, gender norms and adolescent girls: a brief guide. Knowledge to action: Understanding gender norms that affect adolescent girls, 2015. Accessed from www.odi.org on 18th March, 2019.

Keleher H, Franklin L. Changing Gendered Norms about Women and Girls at the Level of Household and Community: A Review of the Evidence. Global Public Health 2008; 3(1): 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441690801892307

Courtenay WH. Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being: a theory of gender and health. Social Science and Medicine 2000; 50(10): 1385-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00390-1

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) CEDAW-Factsheet 2015. Accessed from https://unwomen.org.au>2015/11>CE

Zarar R, Bukhsh MM, and Khaskheli WA. Causes and Consequences of Gender Discrimination against Women in Quetta City. Arts Social Science Journal 2017; 8(3): 1-6. https://doi.org/10.4172/2151-6200.1000277

Rafferty Y. International Dimensions of Discrimination and Violence against Girls: A Human Rights Perspective. Journal of International Women's Studies 2013; 14(1): 1-23. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol14/iss1/1

Lamichhane P, Harken T, Puri M, Darney PD, Blum M, Harper CC, Henderson JT. Sex-selective abortion in Nepal: A qualitative study of health workers' perspectives. Women's Health Issues 2011; 21(3): S37-S41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2011.02.001

United Nations (UN). Fact sheet No. 23, harmful traditional practices affecting the health of women and children. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) 1995. Retrieved from www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/479477410. html

World Health Organization (WHO). Female genital mutilation: Fact sheet No. 241, 2010. Retrieved from www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Women’s and children’s rights: Making the connection. New York, NY: Author, 2011. Retrieved from www.unfpa.org/webdav/ site/global/shared/documents/publications/2011/WomenChildren_final.pdf

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF The state of the world's children 2011: Adolescence – An age of opportunity. New York, NY: 2011. Retrieved from www.unicef.org/sowc2011/fullreport.php

Behrendt A, Moritz S. Posttraumatic stress disorder and memory problems after female genital mutilation. The American Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 162(5): 1000-1002. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.5.1000

Levine R, Lloyd CB, Greene M, Grown C. Girls count: A global investment and action agenda. Washington, D.C.: The Center for Global Development, 2009. Retrieved from www.coalitionforadolescentgirls.org/sites/default/files/Girls_Count_2009.pdf

United Nations Population Fund. (UNFPA). Marrying too young: End child marriage. New York, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/12166

Kogacioglu D. The tradition effect: Framing honour crimes in Turkey. Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 2004; 15(2): 119-151. https://doi.org/10.1215/10407391-15-2-118

Santos-Pais M. Protecting children from harmful practices in plural legal systems. New York 2012, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. Retrieved from http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren. org/sites/default/files/publications_final/SRSG_Plan_h armful_practices_report_final.pdf

Sadik N. Ending violence against women and girls, United Nations Population Fund Report, 25-30 2007. Retrieved from http://womennewsnetwork.net/2011/06/15/site-dignityhonor-violence/

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan-Human Rights (UNAMA-HR). Harmful traditional practices and implementation of the law on Elimination of violence against women in Afghanistan. Kabul, Afghanistan: 2010. Retrieved from http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/ Publication/HTP%20REPORT_ENG.pdf

Obiakor T, Adeniran AP. Covid-19: Impending Situation Threatens to Deepen Nigeria’s Education Crisis. Centre for the Study of the Economy of Africa (CSEA) 2020.

Matthews R. Covid-19: Why are women more vulnerable to mental health issues? 2020 retrieved from https://feminisminindia.com/2020/05/05-Covid-19-women-vulnerable-mental-health-issues/ on 11th June, 2020.

Whelan K. Disaster and Conflict: Girls’ mental health and Covid-19 2020. Retrieved from https://www.planusa.org/ girls/girls-mental-health-and-Covid-19 on 12th June, 2020.

World Health Organization, WHO. Mental health action plan 2013–2020. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2014.

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF. Progress for Children: A report card on adolescents. New York, NY: 2012. Retrieved from www.unicef.org/publications/files/Progress_for_Children__No._10_EN_04272012.pdf on 13th March, 2019.

Phillips SP. Defining and measuring gender: A social determinant of health whose time has come. International Journal for Equity in Health 2005; 4(1): 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-4-11

Overseas Development Institute, ODI. Social norms, gender norms, and adolescent girls: a brief guide. Knowledge to action: Understanding gender norms that affect adolescent girl 2005. Accessed from www.odi.org on 18th March, 2019.

World Health Organization, WHO. Global and regional estimates of violence against women. Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. Geneva 2013.

Kapungu C, Petroni S. Understanding and tackling the gendered drivers of poor adolescent mental health. Washington, DC: International Center for Research on Women 2017.

Grover A. Interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health to the United Nations General Assembly (A/66/254) 2011. Retrieved from www.acpd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SR-Right-to-Health-Criminalization-of SRHR-2011.pdf

Downloads

Published

2021-02-26

How to Cite

Joseph, C. H. ., Alika, H. I. ., Genevieve, A. I. ., & Thobejane, T. . (2021). COVID-19, Norms, and Discrimination against Female Gender in Nigeria: Focus on Implications for Mental Health Counselling. Journal of Intellectual Disability - Diagnosis and Treatment, 9(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2021.09.01.3

Issue

Section

Special Issue: Disability and Social Inclusiveness: A Coronavirus Pandemic Aftermath in the African Environment