Clear and Present Danger! Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment as a Limit to Female Access to Quality Tertiary Education in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Gender disaggregated data on tertiary enrolment in Nigeria generally indicate significant levels of disparity between female and male enrolment especially in Northern Nigeria. On the other hand, data for South-west Nigeria show a gradual improvement in female tertiary enrolment rates with less than 10% difference between female and male enrolees. Though encouraging, these data hide a growing and insidious problem which limits female students’ access to quality education and may impact on their ability to compete effectively in the workplace and society after graduation. The focus of this paper is on the problem of quid-pro-quo sexual harassment in Universities in South-west Nigeria. With the aid secondary statistical data, the paper identifies sexual harassment as a gendered vice which is often overlooked in Nigerian Universities but with a negative impact on female students’ ability to access quality tertiary education – leaving them at a disadvantage and predisposing them to further inequality. The paper highlights the nature and characteristics of sexual harassment and makes a case for urgent action to combat this growing menace as a means of promoting gender equity and encouraging improved female access to quality tertiary education.// Paper ID 149