Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has reaffirmed her commitment to raising her sons with values that challenge entitlement and promote gender equality, calling for a shift in societal norms that shape masculinity.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC’s Emma Barnett on March 5, 2025, Adichie expressed concern over the lack of strong, positive role models for young boys, warning that the vacuum is often filled by “noxious characters and ideas.”
“I’m determined to raise good men,” she said. “I’m thinking about how to make them never feel entitled to women’s bodies.”
The award-winning author and feminist icon argued that while young girls now have powerful female figures to look up to, boys are often left with outdated ideals of masculinity that promote dominance rather than equality.
“In general, little girls now have women in public life they can admire. But I don’t think boys have that in the same way. That space is instead occupied by dangerous ideologies. I wish the good men would stand up,” she emphasized.
Known for her thought-provoking works such as We Should All Be Feminists, Adichie believes that masculinity must evolve to align with equality, stressing that cultural norms should not be treated as immovable barriers.
“Culture doesn’t make us—we make culture. We can reshape masculinity to be compatible with gender equality. It can be done,” she declared.
Beyond the discourse on masculinity, Adichie also reflected on how motherhood has influenced her creativity. She admitted that pregnancy caused an unexpected disruption in her writing process, which she hesitated to call “writer’s block” out of superstition.
Her much-anticipated novel Dream Count, set for release this year, marks her return to fiction after more than a decade. The book is expected to deliver an unfiltered exploration of gender, race, and health through what she calls “radical honesty.”
