2020 international women’s day: Celebrating coming of age

By Sunmola Olowookere
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Women emancipation all over the globe has been a long and tortous fight. However, one can safely say that the tears, struggles, pains and scars have not been in vain.

Our forebears that ignited the fire of revolutionary change in their fellow women in those days, can now look back from the great beyond, heave a sigh of contentment and beam at the present generation reaping the gains of the struggle.

Indeed,  womanhood has fought a good fight. Despite the suppression and repression they encounter from the system, and even sometimes from within the fold which can be most painful, they have trudged on, resolute and determined to make their marks in the sand of time.

In politics, medicine, law, banking, academics, journalism, military, engineering etc, women are making waves in these sectors. Brave, resolute, disciplined, they shine in their schedule of duty.

From all indications, one can deduce that women have come of age as yesterday, women, the world over, celebrated themselves and their achievements.

Usually celebrated  on March 8 every year, the International Women’s Day  is a day dedicated to honouring the achievements of all women throughout history and across the globe, and is typically a day  for women from  different backgrounds and cultures to band together to fight for gender parity and women’s rights.

Women have come a long way from being an object to be seen and not heard, a decoration, an amusement object; the list goes on and on, women have carved a niche for themselves in the world today.

In virtually all sectors now, you would see a woman. Men have gradually come to accept them, though not as a better one but as good as they could be. Indeed women have come a long way.

Women must however show gratitude for the help and support they got along the way.

In the last decade, successive governments in Nigeria at both federal and state levels have showed some level of commitment towards changing the fortunes of women.

Newspaper reports abound of the various government programmes geared towards empowering women.

Female empowerment in Nigeria is an economic process that involves empowering  women as a poverty reduction measure. It is also very popular with the politicians.

Empowerment in this instance entails the development of women in term of politics, social and economic strength, in order, to bring about national development. It is also a way of reducing women vulnerability and dependency in all spheres of life.

It can be noted that the aggregate of educational, political, health and legal empowerment are key to women empowerment in Nigeria.

Like many African women, Nigerian women have a subordinate role to their male counterparts in recent past. There are twice as many women below the poverty line than men, and up to 19 times as many men in executive positions than women.

Armed with all these uncomplimentary truths, the trickle of women that gradually found their way into elective offices ensured and still strived to see that they promote the right of women in all the sectors they found themselves.

Through this, the circle of enlightened women have continued to expand and more women found themselves breaking away from societal shackles.

Contrary to societal erroneous expectation that women would not be able to balance the home and career, women currently have learnt to balance both and do excellently well especially with the cooperation of a loving and understanding spouse.

However as women celebrate their day, count their achievements and demand for their rights that are still elusive to them, there are some outlook  they need to change.

Some women even in this age expects that their rights would be handed over to them on a platter of gold. They are the ones that would say, “Please lower the standards for us. Can’t you see that we are women?”.

Why should standards be lowered because some of the competitors are women? It kills the spirit of sportsmanship. Are we not the ones seeking gender parity? Women should learn how to distinguish themselves in all areas of endeavours.

If you are campaigning for an election, do not expect other women to vote for you simply because you are a woman. Things are no longer that simple. With empowerment, most women have received enlightenment. Hence no woman would follow you blindly just because you are of the same sex unless you prove your worth.

Those that do not understand this fact often say women are the enemies of women. We are not enemies of ourselves but we need to understand these salient facts.

So women, build yourselves, be steadfast and consistent. Do not chicken out during a fight. Our forebears worked themselves to the bone for us to be where we are today. Had they chickened out, things would not have changed. Do not allow the light to go out. Go on in the same spirit and you will discover; that the sky is your starting point.

A writer once wrote a piece tagged ‘Who is a woman?’. In answering the questions she said that she is a full-time working housewife. She works 24 hours a day. She is a Mother and a Wife. She is a daughter and a daughter- in-law. She is an alarm clock. She is a cook. She is a maid. She is  a teacher.

She is a waitress, a Nanny, a Nurse, a handywoman, a security officer, a counsellor and a comforter.

Her words ” I don’t get holidays. I don’t get sick leave. I don’t get day off. I work through day and night. I’m on call all hours and get paid with a sentence. “What do you do all day? A Woman has the most unique characters like salt! Her presence is never remembered, but her absence makes all the things tasteless.”

Celebrate the women around you. Despite all negative attitudes perceived in them, they are priceless. Women too should aspire to be the best they can be.