The Plights of Being Female

In the previous episode of the Plights of Being Female, the issue of discrimination against women in the workplace was brought into the spotlight. You can read that episode here.

The difficulties faced by women for just being female should no longer be kept beneath the carpet. To unbox the plights of women, another plight of being female shall be addressed in this piece.

Boxing Women as Dependents 

Women have been reduced to a species that is incapable of doing anything worthwhile for themselves. Irrespective of how hard a woman works, a man is always snuck into her wins.

I noticed each time a female client shows up with a new car, side comments such as “her husband has got her a new car” is being made. I find this assertion disturbing because some of these women have flourished in their various career paths and can afford to gift themselves a car. So why is everyone assuming it was a gift from their spouses? If the gender was reversed, such assumptions would not be made.

Related Article: The Plights of Being Female (Episode 1)

Frankly, it is saddening that a man gets praised for building a house, whereas a woman’s source of income is questioned when she does the same. Unfortunately, her source of income is not only questioned, but a hasty conclusion is made, that some man out there must have purchased it for her. It is quite popular in society for successful women to be accused of prostitution and having sugar daddies. As if women were cursed to not earn money on their own.

Also, the moment a woman glows, it is assumed that she is flourishing because she has a man that cares for her. This perception is demeaning and unfair. Women work hard, under the sun and even in the rain. It is cruel to give the credits of their efforts to a man. Society needs to come to terms with the reality that gone are the days when men were sole providers.

Today, women work as hard as their male counterparts. There are successful women artists, doctors, lawyers, bankers, politicians, business owners, and lots more. The narrative that all women own was made possible by a man should be laid to rest. Such an assertion is untrue and is no longer valid.

Attributing a person’s achievements to another person, just because you believe their gender is incapable of making waves is beyond demeaning and insulting. It cuts deep. A very big plight of being female. I can recall how bad I felt when I made an order for lunch and went to pick it up from the dispatch rider, only for a male colleague to insinuate that a man must have ordered lunch for me. Despite being aware of my job, he still felt I was unfit of ordering something as cheap as lunch for myself.

Honestly, society needs to learn to stop assuming the worst of women and start giving them their due credits. It is not only the popular women like Ngozi Okonjo Iweala that should be celebrated. Women are working silently and their results should not be met with doubts and insults. 

Conclusion

Viewing women as dependents is one of the plights of being female. It is really painful to work so hard and yet society refuses to give you your due credits. Hopefully, this mentality will wither away, it belongs in the Stone Age.

Stay tuned for our next episode on the Plights of Being Female. Bye for now!

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