Gender complementarity: Panacea for Communal Leadership in Nigeria (A Gender Discourse of Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of The Strong Ones)

Abstract

The paper examines the idea of gender complementarity as a solution for communal leadership, using the representative novel, The Last of the Strong Ones for elucidation The novel depicts the life of the imaginary Igbo community of Okperi's residents and their struggle for leadership and self-determination. The paper looks at how men and women collaborate in positions of leadership to keep the community's stability.The paper emphasizes the value of gender complementarity as it promotes inclusivity and equity by taking a feminist approach. The paper makes the case that female and male collaboration and advice are essential for communal leadership to succeed. The protagonists in the novel show how gender complementarity enables them to appreciate and recognize each other's contributions and skills, resulting in a more dynamic and inclusive leadership structure, as well as promoting gender parity in leadership roles and subverting gender stereotypes. Overall, by highlighting the beneficial effects of gender complementarity in collective leadership frameworks, the paper contributes to the conversation on gender and leadership.