By Daniel Edu
In her latest work, ‘Ichabod,’ Ogochukwu Eloike, a respected writer and communications strategist, confronts gender inequality, urging for societal change and a departure from gender stereotypes.
The book serves as a narrative of the feminine experience, shedding light on how these experiences are often trivialized by society, thereby contributing to the widening gender gap. Eloike proposes practical roles that both society and individuals can play in promoting equity and alleviating the growing gender awareness prevalent in recent times.
To launch the book, the author initiated hashtag campaigns, #Ichabod and #ImEnough, providing women a platform to share their life experiences related to manifestations of gender inequity and shortfalls.
Explaining the choice of the title, Eloike stated, “The term Ichabod has biblical connotation which means lost glory and it is used as the book title to allude to various ways we have gotten the training and raising of the girls wrong by paying much tribute to male children across various touchpoints.”
She highlighted the persistence of patriarchal elements in societal structures, citing instances such as the Nigerian senate’s rejection of a gender-balanced house in 2021, which underscored the perception of women as unequal and undeserving of leadership positions.
The book offers an honest analysis of current gender disparity situations globally, using real-life data gathered both online and offline to measure various drivers of abuses, dissatisfaction, and perceived differences between genders. Eloike hopes that ‘Ichabod’ will spark a paradigm shift, encouraging societies to pay more attention to each other’s needs rather than perpetuating subjugation and authority struggles.
The author emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to address the foundational causes of misogyny, urging families, government institutions, religious establishments, and other stakeholders to actively contribute to bridging the gap created by gender disparity.
Ogochukwu Eloike, an astute communications strategist, radical feminist, audacious Christian, and education reform advocate, brings her extensive experience to ‘Ichabod,’ published by Parresia Publishers Ltd under the Origami imprint.
