Features  |  Gender  

Why 52% is enough to create change

By Zuriel Oduwole, Contributor |   15 April 2019   |   4:18 am  

International Women’s Day 2019 with Buhari

This is strictly for adults. It really is, and I would like to start by asking this simple question, and that is “why is the 52% not enough to convince people to change”.

But if the 52% is not even enough, I would have thought the naked truth and reality about the 48% would be more than enough to cause the whole world to change its attitude.

Some of you may be wondering, what this young lady is taking about. Well, this is what I am seriously sharing with you all this time. Most of you reading are more experienced than I am and know a lot more than I do, and so, I need your help seriously, to understand something that’s bugging me a little, because I just don’t understand.

Many weeks ago, I met a nice lady called Otiko Djaba, in Accra Ghana at an event. She was the gender minister, and was giving a speech, and she said something that has bugged me since. I have to assume that what she said is applicable mostly in many other countries across the African continent.

Ms Djaba said that in Ghana, 52% of the population are women – right, and that’s simple and clear, but that the other 48% were born, by women.

So, in her country, more than half of the population are women, but the reality is they have very little control of the economy, of the military, schools, ports, or the government, practically, they have very little control of anything.

But the other 48%, were born of these same women. To me, this is a difficult thing to hear, and just be myself.

The Question
Does this reality kind of bothers anyone else? I know its not possible, but just imagine for one moment, if women go on strike and say – no more children. It means that the way things are today in Africa where men dominate ‘everything’ and from what has been the last many years, it means no more CEO’s, heads of major companies, leaders in governments, Presidents and Prime Ministers amongst others. The economies of Africa, would simply just grind to a halt.

My questions to adults then is, if women are this important to everything across all aspects of the economy, including life too, why are they treated so poorly, and why are they almost always denied a fair access to their own personal growth and development.

I have to ask this question, because in the next 3 – 5 years, many mid teenage girls would become young women, and I am one of them. I don’t want to get denied anything I am capable of, or anything I can do to make a difference to the lives of many. Most girls done want to be denied their dreams, or their capabilities.

That is why I am asking the question now. Would the 52% and the 48% be allowed to create a 100% better society by inclusion and by honest and fair empowerment? I hope and I pray, that they are allowed to be themselves, and to just flourish.

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