THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF FEMINISM

In most homes in Nigeria, it’s expected that a woman will cook the family meal and not expect her husband to come into the kitchen and help her.  If he does, in some quarters he may be called  a ‘’ woman wrapper’’.

It is also expected that a man will do all the manual chores like change the car tyres and not expect his wife to jump out of the car and help him. God forbid he ask her to turn on the generator when he’s there. Its just not done.

In addition, the man will pay the bill entirely if he takes a lady out on a date and will rarely split it 50/50.

But times are changing because some gender roles make women appear less than men.

But the issues of feminism is much deeper than who pays for the bill, who opens the door first or who cooks. Those are cultural and personal choices.

I learnt a lot from my millennial sister friend Chinwe, who is passionate about gender equality. Chinwe is a member of the Fawcett Society which campaigns for gender equality and protection of women’s rights.

They believe

• Feminism is simply about women having the same opportunities as men
• It’s about closing pay gaps between men and women
• It’s about women being involved in key decision making
• It’s about everyone fighting for injustices that women face
• It’s about women having a chance to live out their potential and spread their wings and fly.
• It’s about women occupying the same positions as their male counterpart especially if she has the same skills and experience
• It’s about women thriving without thinking twice because she’s female

When we understand ‘’feminism’, in terms of women having the same opportunities as men, then maybe we wont be so quick to denounce it or see it as a threat. What do you think? Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment.