So when I hear the word gender equity, the first thing that just comes to my mind is fairness , like can everybody just breathe and not be judged based on if they are male or female? I know people like to complicate it, but for me, it just means treating both genders with equal value and respect, regardless of their roles or position, see not every man has to be the strong provider, and not every woman must be the only one taking care of the house or children, at least let there be balance.
See I will not even lie, in this part of the world especially, gender roles are so strong that if you try to change anything, people will look at you somehow, like now, if a man is not providing 100% for the family, some people will say the woman is controlling him something something voodoo etc, Or if a woman earns more than her husband, society starts whispering like she committed a crime, but the truth is, life is not black and white like that at all , you know things are changing.
In fact, I remember one of my neighbor back then, the wife was the one carrying the family financially, she had a better paying job, and her husband was doing his best too, but you know how some men cannot just handle that? He then started acting weird, complaining about everything, meanwhile the woman was just doing what she could to make the home better, If the roles were reversed, no one would talk, but once it is the woman, wahala has start like that.
See, I feel like gender equity should reflect in responsibilities too, in marriage, let both partners support each other however they can emotionally, financially, spiritually, If the wife is in the best position to handle school fees that month, abeg let her pay, If the man is better at cooking, let him help with that without anybody calling him “woman wrapper” or saying “na jazz she use blah blah blah, ” Let us remove shame from doing what is fair and helpful.
Even in the workplace or society generally, the same energy applies, don’t give a man a leadership position just because he is a man, If the woman is more qualified, she deserves the seat,don’t say women are too emotional for certain jobs, Meanwhile, I have seen men throw full tantrums just because their football team lost.
See ehn... Honestly, if both genders are allowed to thrive without being boxed into roles, the family will be stronger, and society will be better this I believe, You can not keep telling women to be submissive and carry all the housework, then expect them to also go out and hustle like men, That is just double work, and you also cannot keep expecting men to bottle everything up, struggle alone and not even show emotion, just because “men don’t cry.” Everybody deserves rest, support, and freedom to be themselves.
At the end of the day, I just believe that gender equity is not about trying to make men and women the same ,it is about letting them both live freely and contribute to life based on their own ability,and not by their gender.
So yeah....that is my take, let everybody just breathe and just do what works for them, there's no shame in fairness abeg.
This Is My Response To The Hive Learners Prompt Week 177 , Edition 3
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