In the novel, Second Class Citizen, the main character, Adah, is a strong, Nigerian
women who faces sexism from within her own culture since she was born. She explains,
"She was a girl who had arrived when everyone was expecting and predicting a boy...
She was so insignificant" (Emecheta 7). In the Ibo culture that Adah grew up in, being a
girl was looked down upon. Giving birth to a boy was a major accomplishment, whereas
giving birth to a girl was an equally major disappointment. Girls were taught to be useful,
not intelligent: "A year or two would do, as long as she can write her name and count.
Then she will learn to sew" (Emecheta 9). In Ibo culture, girls were valued for their
domestic abilities. Adah refused to be measured by this, instead she was determined to go
to school and get an education. She worked had to overcome the sexist attitude that her
This sexist attitude continued after she got married to Francis. Francis is a typical
Ibo male. He held the view that the males should go and get educated and the female
should stay home, or in Francis' case, work to support his education. Adah knew his
attitude, "The sharpness seemed to say to her: 'It is allowed for African males to come
and get civilsed in England. But that privileged has not been extended to females yet'"
(Emecheta 36). Francis is a pure reflection of the values held by the Ibos. All Francis
wanted from Adah was money, to pay for his education, and sex: "As far as he was
concerned marriage was sex and lots of it, nothing more" (Emecheta 41). To Francis,
Adah was a sexual object. As far as he was concerned, her feelings didn't matter, she was
not a real person. Adah knew she was up against the enemy when she challenged Francis,
but she was able to rise about he sexism and leave Francis. Not only does she go against
her own culture, but she wants her children t...