CELEBRATING THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS: WOMEN.
Clara happens to be a super hyper, free-style, Tom-boyish, carefree and I know my right kind of girl. She had her own share of criticisms and how an ideal lady should be. Her world was enveloped with ideologies on what need to be done to attract the right kind of guy and how her home should be built. No much emphasis on what her dreams in life were and how they can be realised.
You can't go far in life behaving like this, no man will ever marry you, be like a lady, dress decent if not no man will be attracted to you.
You ought to be in the kitchen helping your mom so you can learn how to cook for your husband. Your husband will just divorce you and marry another wife.
How are you supposed to hold a home with the way you behave? These and many more were the words her parents constantly used to build her world, fixing it all on how to please and live for a man to be fully accepted by the society as a balanced being.
Then Clara entered higher institution and as an average student who was trying to hold her grades, the criticism and assessments began again.
Don't you have a boyfriend? Why haven't you brought him home to show us? Aren't you doing good enough for him to propose to you? Are you thinking of coming back to the house after graduation? You ought to be moving to your husband's house upon graduation.
She finally graduated and got a job with a good multinational company and her friends and family were so happy with her. After some years with the company, she decided to move out of the home and also get herself a car for easy mobility to work.
Noooo don't even dare do such she heard from her mom and aunts. No man will ever marry a woman who lives by herself. You want to buy a car? they asked her. Don't you know any man who sees you driving a car will be afraid to approach you for marriage? He'll feel intimidated, they will think you would not be submissive enough. Don't you know a woman earning more than her man makes the man feel weak?
It was William Golding who said and I quote, "I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to man, they are far superior and always have been."
Many young ladies have had such experiences like Clara and many have had worse than her.
Most parents like Clara's, keep emphasising on what a girl should do or not do so her would be husband will like her. Many care less what their daughters want to do with their lives. Few actually sit down to have talks with their daughters as regards their ambitions, visions, goals and aspirations.
Well as a girl, growing up was just there cos such talks about what you want to become after school and how I want to go about it wasn't given much thoughts, though I was happy that my dad had a soft spot for education. I love him for that and he tried his very best in giving me that. But after all the talks on what I want to be and all that, it always ended with: haven't you made up your mind about so so guy who's coming for your hand in marriage? It's always better to marry early and finish giving birth before 30. How this friend of theirs daughter will be getting married on so so day.
You find out such mindsets keep going round from generation to generation. They feel a woman is nothing without a man and that your achievements in life must revolve round a man for you to be placed highly. Forgetting that "the future of our world is only as bright as the future of our girls" as stated by Michelle Obama.
Our generation has a lot of unlearning and relearning to do and I'm glad we are turning out better than our parents, and we shall groom the new generations better, handing the baton of a gender balanced world to them.
Letting them appreciate gender equality and respect for one another.
A woman's natural instinct to nurture and educate has for time immemorial played a vital role in safeguarding the core foundations of every functional community and every nation at large.
Many parts of Nigeria especially the Northern part see the education of a girl child as a waste. In fact they marry them off as early as 10 years to often older men who can be their fathers' age. It's heart breaking seeing such level of ignorance, child negligence and abuse. Reason I insist our generation of women must do better in curbing these societal abuse of the girl-child.
We must give them books and an open sky to fulfil their dreams. Give them hopes not husbands.
Many women are doing well for themselves now in many spheres and facets of life cos there's no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise. Women are making impacts in almost every field. Strong women are daily emerging.
A strong woman is a woman who can dare to raise her voice for the cause she believes in, and this strength lives in a corner of every woman's heart, it just needs to be searched and activated.
You, yes you reading this owe it to yourself to be more and to do more. For where there is a woman , there is magic.
Women's day is a day for giving tributes to all wonderful women in our lives who have made marks, a day to celebrate the hurdles and efforts women have made in building a beautiful present and a better future.
A day to remind ourselves of the tasks waiting for us. The task to bring every girl child to realise the potentials they carry. To ensure gender equality becomes a lifestyle to all and sundry.
We collectively need to ensure standard education is given to every child irrespective of gender, for education is a powerful weapon in curbing the ignorance and setting the mind free of every limitations.
I celebrate myself, my mom, sisters, friends and all women whose paths have crossed mine and who have impacted my life in most wonderful ways.
I celebrate all women who do not need validations from anyone to be the best they ever can.
To you all I say be more. Do more.
Happy International Women's Day to all women.
You can't go far in life behaving like this, no man will ever marry you, be like a lady, dress decent if not no man will be attracted to you.
You ought to be in the kitchen helping your mom so you can learn how to cook for your husband. Your husband will just divorce you and marry another wife.
How are you supposed to hold a home with the way you behave? These and many more were the words her parents constantly used to build her world, fixing it all on how to please and live for a man to be fully accepted by the society as a balanced being.
Then Clara entered higher institution and as an average student who was trying to hold her grades, the criticism and assessments began again.
Don't you have a boyfriend? Why haven't you brought him home to show us? Aren't you doing good enough for him to propose to you? Are you thinking of coming back to the house after graduation? You ought to be moving to your husband's house upon graduation.
She finally graduated and got a job with a good multinational company and her friends and family were so happy with her. After some years with the company, she decided to move out of the home and also get herself a car for easy mobility to work.
Noooo don't even dare do such she heard from her mom and aunts. No man will ever marry a woman who lives by herself. You want to buy a car? they asked her. Don't you know any man who sees you driving a car will be afraid to approach you for marriage? He'll feel intimidated, they will think you would not be submissive enough. Don't you know a woman earning more than her man makes the man feel weak?
It was William Golding who said and I quote, "I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to man, they are far superior and always have been."
Many young ladies have had such experiences like Clara and many have had worse than her.
Most parents like Clara's, keep emphasising on what a girl should do or not do so her would be husband will like her. Many care less what their daughters want to do with their lives. Few actually sit down to have talks with their daughters as regards their ambitions, visions, goals and aspirations.
Well as a girl, growing up was just there cos such talks about what you want to become after school and how I want to go about it wasn't given much thoughts, though I was happy that my dad had a soft spot for education. I love him for that and he tried his very best in giving me that. But after all the talks on what I want to be and all that, it always ended with: haven't you made up your mind about so so guy who's coming for your hand in marriage? It's always better to marry early and finish giving birth before 30. How this friend of theirs daughter will be getting married on so so day.
You find out such mindsets keep going round from generation to generation. They feel a woman is nothing without a man and that your achievements in life must revolve round a man for you to be placed highly. Forgetting that "the future of our world is only as bright as the future of our girls" as stated by Michelle Obama.
Our generation has a lot of unlearning and relearning to do and I'm glad we are turning out better than our parents, and we shall groom the new generations better, handing the baton of a gender balanced world to them.
Letting them appreciate gender equality and respect for one another.
A woman's natural instinct to nurture and educate has for time immemorial played a vital role in safeguarding the core foundations of every functional community and every nation at large.
Many parts of Nigeria especially the Northern part see the education of a girl child as a waste. In fact they marry them off as early as 10 years to often older men who can be their fathers' age. It's heart breaking seeing such level of ignorance, child negligence and abuse. Reason I insist our generation of women must do better in curbing these societal abuse of the girl-child.We must give them books and an open sky to fulfil their dreams. Give them hopes not husbands.
Many women are doing well for themselves now in many spheres and facets of life cos there's no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise. Women are making impacts in almost every field. Strong women are daily emerging.
A strong woman is a woman who can dare to raise her voice for the cause she believes in, and this strength lives in a corner of every woman's heart, it just needs to be searched and activated.
You, yes you reading this owe it to yourself to be more and to do more. For where there is a woman , there is magic.
Women's day is a day for giving tributes to all wonderful women in our lives who have made marks, a day to celebrate the hurdles and efforts women have made in building a beautiful present and a better future.
A day to remind ourselves of the tasks waiting for us. The task to bring every girl child to realise the potentials they carry. To ensure gender equality becomes a lifestyle to all and sundry.
We collectively need to ensure standard education is given to every child irrespective of gender, for education is a powerful weapon in curbing the ignorance and setting the mind free of every limitations.
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| Women of Excellence |
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| Celebrating my sister |
I celebrate all women who do not need validations from anyone to be the best they ever can.
To you all I say be more. Do more.
Happy International Women's Day to all women.
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| Strong women |
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| A Dependant |
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| Women breaking boundaries |
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