Gendered Power, Workplace Harrasement and Female Resistance: A Stiwanist’s Reading of Effiong Ekpenyong’s A Pathfinder

Abstract

 The struggle for women’s inclusion in African social, economic and institutional structures remains an important concern in African literary discourse. Although women’s participation in education and workplace has increased, patriarchal structures continue to shape women’s experiences within workplaces and other institutions. This article investigates gendered power, institutional sexual harassment and female resistance, and the broader socio-political struggle for female inclusion through the theoretical framework of Molara Ogundipe-Leslie’s Stiwanism (Social Transformation Including Women in Africa).  With focus on Effiong Ekpenyong’s A Pathfinder, this paper explores how patriarchal abuse within professional environments acts as a micro-level reflection of macro-level political exclusion. When female characters face workplace harassment and subsequent forced resignation, it represents a calculated attempt by patriarchal systems to strip women of economic autonomy. By reading these dynamics through STIWANISM, this study argues that resisting workplace exploitation and demanding for the transformation of institutional structures that permit gendered intimidation and exclusion are foundational prerequisites for women's active participation in national development.