Segun Meshack BABARINDE

This study examined the challenges of women’s oppression in African societies, especially Nigeria. Through the use of Flora Nwapa's Efuru and Lola Shoneyin's The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, the study explored how women struggle within patriarchal societies and how cultural beliefs, gender roles, and traditional expectations affect women’s lives and marriages in Africa. The study adopted qualitative research subjecting relevant instances of women oppression, discrimination, and resistance in both texts to textual analysis using feminist theory. The study revealed that both Nwapa and Shoneyin expose the deep-rooted patriarchal structures that silence women and normalize gender inequality through marriage, motherhood, and societal expectations.