FEMALE AUTONOMY IN DECISION-MAKING: AN EXPLORATION OF HOMERIC EPIC AND AKINWUMI ISOLA’S EFUNSETAN ANIWURA (IYALODE IBADAN)

Abstract

Generally, women who live in patriarchal societies have been portrayed as incapable of making informed and realistic decisions, as revealed in some literary texts, both ancient and modern. With this, over the years, many scholars of gender studies have focused on gender roles and discrimination against women, without paying attention to how women are capable of making informed decisions without patriarchal interventions. This study aims to examine women’s decision-making power as female agency in the Homeric and Yoruba cultural societies with two selected texts, namely Odyssey of Homer and Efunsetan Aniwura– Iyalode Ibadan of Akinwumi Isola. While some ancient epics have not quite brought to light women’s political inclination or roles that they play in society, others give them no credit for all their socio-political affairs. However, Homer and Akinwumi Isola both present Penelope and Efunsetan as female agents capable of decision making, though not without preconception. This study, 
using the comparative qualitative research method, analyses female agency in women's autonomy and decision-making power as presented in Homer and Akinwumi Isola’s Odyssey and Efunsetan Aniwura: Iyalode Ibadan, respectively. The selected texts constitute the primary data, while recent related journal articles and books serve as grist for the mill of this study and constitute secondary data.