Author and gender advocate Olamitayo Ebunola Irantiola has released Smash The Glass Ceiling, a 244-page rallying call for women to confront societal, cultural and religious limitations and rise to positions of influence and leadership.
Published by Peo Davies Communications, the book was officially reviewed by academic and social commentator Dr. Kehinde Olubanjo, who described the work as “a powerful manifesto for women striving to break free from deeply rooted barriers.”
Drawing from personal stories, historical events, and spiritual reflection, Irantiola explores the systemic challenges African women face — from exclusion in religious leadership to being underestimated in political and professional spheres. Her message, Dr. Olubanjo notes, is clear and direct: “Women are not second-class citizens. They are leaders, changemakers, visionaries.”
Each chapter of Smash The Glass Ceiling guides readers through a journey from awareness to action. With poetic prose and prophetic declarations, Irantiola urges women to reject self-doubt, embrace ambition unapologetically, and claim their place in society. “You are not weak; you are a woman,” she writes, a phrase that echoes as a central theme throughout the book.
The book does not only highlight the problems , it proposes solutions. It lays out practical strategies for breaking personal and institutional barriers, while calling for gender parity in political participation, spiritual leadership, entrepreneurship, and education. One of its most compelling sections addresses the exclusion of women in church leadership, calling for a reimagined faith community that empowers both sons and daughters.
Irantiola’s unique blend of passion and scholarship has earned early praise for making feminist thought accessible and inclusive. “She’s not just speaking to boardroom executives,” said Dr. Olubanjo. “She’s reaching out to students, market women, pastors, professionals , everyone who has been told to shrink themselves.”
While firmly rooted in African realities, Smash The Glass Ceiling transcends regional issues to touch on universal themes of empowerment, identity, and social justice. Its language is both lyrical and confrontational , a style that makes it suitable for workshops, empowerment sessions, and academic discussions alike.
Beyond the book’s primary audience of women and girls, Irantiola also speaks to men, urging them to become allies in dismantling patriarchy and creating an equitable society. The final chapters of the book read like a call to arms: “Let this book not be a bookshelf decoration but a battle cry.”
As gender inequality continues to challenge progress across Africa and beyond, Smash The Glass Ceiling arrives as a timely and necessary voice in the movement for gender justice.
The book is available nationwide in bookstores and online platforms, with advocacy groups already planning reading circles and panel discussions around its themes. For those ready to challenge the status quo and rewrite the narrative, Irantiola offers a powerful starting point , not just a book, but as one reviewer called it, “a sledgehammer.”
