Women In Politics

Unlike what is commonly believed, the intrusion of Europeans into Igbo societies diminished the role of women in society. Believing that the people they encountered treated women second to men just like they did, early European anthropologic writers described the Igbo socieites as "male-run". This initial misconception ultimately resulted in the formation of a colonial political class that failed include women.

The Aba Women's Riot (also known as the Aba Women's War) of 1929 was an uprising of thousands of women from the Bende, Owerri, Ngwa and Umuahia areas of Igboland. Led by strong female figures like Nwanyieruwa, Ikonnia, Nwannedia, and Nwugo, the women marched against local chiefs and colonial officials in protest of the implementation of taxes against women and new laws that failed to adequately accommodate women in the colonial government structure.

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