On International Women’s Day
For us to have a population of which half are women, yet get so under-represented in a lot of things, is a travesty, but understood, judging by where we are and what had happened in the past. This should ensure that women should always be celebrated not just on a date set aside for them, but every single day of the year.
There have been wonderful strides made in balancing equality, especially in the last 100 years, but there is more to do. I follow the work done by people around the world to help improve the plight of women everywhere. I follow the wonderful works of Emma Watson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Malala Yousafzai, Bill and Melinda Gates, Ava Duvernay, to name a few, while acknowledging other past achievements such as that of Maya Angelou, Marie Curie and others, who adopted the mantra that a well-educated woman improves the life of the society as a whole.
I had the privilege of growing up in a family surrounded by girls (I have 4 sisters, no brother), so I had to understand them at a young age. I must confess, it’s not so easy to decipher what they meant at times, and always had to take a step back to understand issues from their perspective (same could be said of them about me), but the wonderful real-life training, in conjunction with being raised by my grandmother, has been super beneficial to me overall.
I have been to some parts of Nigeria, where women do the farming, fishing, and other duties that people perceive to be done mostly by men. I marvelled at their industry and happy spirits whenever I came across some ‘fisherwomen’ in Lagos, where I grew up. It’s always uplifting to see the smile on their faces as they go about their daily chores. They continue to be models, as they overcome challenges with fierce boldness on a daily basis.
It’s always a wonderful thing when women find their voice in any walk of life. I work closely with women in my research, and the increase in representation of women in STEM is marvellous. Every day I experience the wonderful contribution women make and the sacrifices they make to better society, no matter the challenges they face. I can’t help but celebrate them every day.
History is littered with great accomplishments by women; a quick research reveals women being recognised as deities and goddesses in different cultures all over the world. It is little wonder we talk about ‘Mother Nature’ and refer to the earth as ‘She’, the matriarchal influence, as much as generations in the past tried to downplay them, it has been obvious and undeniable their contributions over time.
Extreme poverty has been cut in half over the past 20 years; while there has been massive reduction in various diseases all around the world over the years. Polio is almost eradicated from the face of the earth; and all these feats could be put down to the education women have received over the past few years. Therefore, continually improving the plight of women around the world will continue to yield massive gains that will benefit everyone eventually.
I will leave with this poetry I came across recently, which covers their indefatigable and bold spirits:
‘She made broken look beautiful, and strong look invincible.
She walked with the universe on her shoulders,
and made it look like a pair of wings’
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