Spatial Mobility and Female Agency in Aiwanose Odafen’s Tomorrow I Become A Woman

Women’s mobility and access to space remain deeply constrained by patriarchal structures that regulate movement, identity and self-expression. In literary representations of women’s lives, these spatial restrictions often sustain gendered power relations and limit female autonomy. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s theory of space and an African feminist framework, this qualitative study examines how spatial mobility and female agency intersect in Aiwanose Odafen’s Tomorrow I Become a Woman. The study argues that the text foregrounds gendered spaces as mechanisms for normalising patriarchal authority and constraining women’s movement. Through a textual analysis, the study reveals that gendered spaces, particularly domestic, marital, religious and legal spaces, regulate women’s movement, silence aspirations and normalise female subordination. At the same time, spatial shifts enable moments of negotiation, resistance, and autonomy. By foregrounding the tension between spatial constraints and spatial possibility, the study conceptualises female agency as a contested and processual quest, contributing to feminist spatial criticism and advancing critical conversation on the intersection of space, power and gender in contemporary literary discourse.