Feminists’ body sensitivity: An overview of the Western and Nigerian perspectives*

Abstract

Feminism is the bedrock of the campaign for the guarantee of women’s right to choose abortion. Consequently, the radical feminists continuously canvassed for equality between men and women and felt that in order for women to be able to stand on equal footing with their male counter parts, women should be given the right to choose whatever they want to do with her body. Women, the so-called radical feminists, want to possess the right to determine whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term. A right which they claim ought to be free from any intervention. Radical feminists, since the 1960s have fought vigorously to ensure that, the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, is left to the women, and they are sensitizing women all around the globe to be aware of the existence of such right. This research therefore set out to know whether this idea of western notion of body sensitivity fit into the Nigerian notion of body sensitivity.  Consequently, a case study was carried out in Nigeria, wherein interview and focus group discussion was carried out in order to know the exact meaning of body sensitivity as it applies to women in Nigeria. The result shows that, body sensitivity to Nigerian women does not extend to abortion.

Keywords: Feminism, body sensitivity, abortion, autonomous, culture