ARTICLE: The woman cause

Today is that time of the year when women all over the world are celebrated. It is the international women day and as usual various groups in Nigeria are advocating for gender equality in politics, missing dapchi girls, gender equality bill among others.

There was a time when a woman was a property to be bought and inherited. she was treated as less than human and relegated to the kitchen and 'other room'. These circumstances gave birth to agitation of early feminists who fought to change these injustices done to women. They fought and won or did they?

Well, women can now vote and run for political offices, women are head of ministries and parastatal and we have women scientists and engineers but the issues plaguing the women folks are still enormous in our modern society.

In reference to the African society, women still undergo pressure from their spouses, family and society to conform to the common mindset of who a woman should be. A woman is average without a husband even if she is the president of world bank, she is incomplete without a child even when it is beyond her control.

A modern women is not even safe in the workplace, she is easily perceived as a sex object by randy bosses and potential customers. she is constantly fighting within and outside her self.

She battles blows from a supposed loving husband, rape because she dress provocatively, trafficking, genital mutilation, widow rites prostitution, kidnapping among others. Even as a child she is not spared from pedophiles masquerading as relatives and chauvinist father selling her off to marriage too early.

Then she barely survive depression because she is too skinny,too dark or not endowed. Struggles to meet the society's standard of beauty push her to get under the knife, use slimming tea, patronise bleaching creams and engage in one form of health risking task to look perfect.

Hmm, they are enormous issues, ain't they? well, the solutions are not far fetch, they start from the family to the society. The family institution should raise girls who are confident in their beauty and brains. If boys are trained to respect and cherish girls, they will unlikely become wife beaters.

The government should pass laws that punish offenders accordingly against the women folks. Laws that encourage right attitude toward women should be signed and implemented. Bills that favour women involvement in all aspects of the economy should be passed.

The society seems to be the most defaulter against a woman. There are certain values and customs that must be changed, mindset that are archaic should be dropped and new ones adopted.

And to the woman, you are more than your casing(body), you have brains and you have something to offer the nations. You are wo(mb)man, this means you can take an idea and make it a reality. Be more than your face, clothes and makeup, be who you are meant to be, a help that is fit for all things.

I am not a feminist but I believe in equity which is beyond equality. Happy international women day!!

By Bolanle Jegede