I just posted OMOTOLA JOLADE EKEINDE's interview where she talks about not believing in Gender Equality. She said "I don’t believe in gender equality. I do not believe that God made man and woman to be equal in any way", and then goes on to explain how allowing her husband to be the head of their home had made her marriage successful. There is something very wrong in that answer.
What I think is that Omotola does not know what Gender Equality means. In marriage, you do not compete with your husband, true, but gender equality is a general society thing, not an individual marriage thing. It means, in society, girls and women are given just the same opportunities as their male counterparts and regarded as moral and intellectual equals in every way.
I'm happy for Omotola at the husband and marriage God has blessed her with, but those who like her shun Feminism and Gender Equality, forget the little ones, those who are not as fortunate as they are. You cannot with one mouth reject gender equality and then show surprise when a man batters a woman in private, or harasses her in public, he does it not just because he is physically stronger, but because he believes he is superior to her.
For those downtrodden women, abused by their men, and oppressed under patriarchy, for the women who have gone before, some of who spoke out, fought and died that I might be educated and have a voice, for my daughters and for the little girls yet to come, I will always and forever be a champion of gender equality.
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I posted a version of the above on my Facebook page and it generated a ton of discussion so I decided to share it here too. Let's discuss. What do you see as gender equality?
Thank you very mud, Myne. Women like you make us AFRICANS proud. You said it very well.
ReplyDelete**much**
ReplyDeleteThanks a whole lot jare, those women that do not grasp the meaning of gender equality, should go back to school.
ReplyDeleteI believe that everyone should be treated equally and fairly without fear or favour regardless of their gender. Every person has a right to aspire and attain the highest possible height in life, fulfil their dreams without wearing the tag of “oh, it’s possible because, she’s female” or “oh, he was able to achieve that because he’s male”. I don't believe that my being female makes me weaker to my male counterpart. playing the gender card is making excuses for failure at times.
ReplyDeleteHowever, only a woman can get pregnant (at least for now) and nature has shown that some women find this period a trying time....will gender equality play here...pregnancy isn’t a disease so the woman won’t be expected to stay off work during the nine months, neither will she be expected to start climbing poles, jumping craters etc because she’s in the engineering field. Therefore because of the biological differences between both sexes, differential treatment in gender equality comes to play...... if we claim that common sense dictates that a woman should be “handled with care” during her pregnancy period, what about her spouse or partner who may be suffering from psychological trauma from the woman’s swinging moods.
this is my two kobo........
When i read that my jaw dropped. like you said Myne she doesnt know the meaning of gender equality. In my opinion she has taken the gender equality struggle in Nigeria back a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteI am going to go out on a limb here and say that it is very clear that Omotoal does not understand the meaning of "Gender Equality". I think she was looking at it from a two captains on the same ship perspective which is what it is not, her advisors should have schooled her better on this. Gender equality simply means that men and women, boys and girls have equal rights and should not be treated differently or discriminated against based on their gender. Omotola I agree with you that there can be only one captain in a household however bringing gender equality into this equation does not make sense.
ReplyDeleteOmotola is amusing. She is enjoying the benefits of a husband who is living the 'gender equality' creed - allowing her to fulfill her ambitions, enjoy her fame, fete her all the way, allow himself to be known as Omotola's husband (was it not recently we started seeing him in the limelight with her?) Yet she says she doesn't believe in gender equality?!! Joker.
ReplyDelete@Sykik - interesting comment you made there especially about pregnancy. While pregnancy isn't a disease it is a condition which considerably impacts on a female's health and let us not forget that it is the means by which the propagation of the human species; therefore it deserves special consideration in the work place/home. I will admit that yes some women have used it to pull the 'weak' card and generally not pull their weight but it is what it is.
Well said I agree with Myne she does not know what gender equality means.
DeleteI think when Omotola spoke on "gender equality" she restricted it to marriage and the home. I don't think it's because she doesn't know what gender equality is , but because that is the context and general topic under which they were speaking.
ReplyDeleteThat said, when women talk this way it could just be a strategy, and a wise one sometimes; letting the man believe that he is the head and the captain of the ship, while unknown to him it's you who actually tells him in what ways to steer it.
But if this is not the case then I think Omotola needs further enlightenment.
There is a need for a like button for comments. You echoed my thoughts.
DeleteThat there is the problem it is one thing if she is saying these things round a kitchen table talk amongst friends. But saying it out in public while knowing that there are very many young ladies/girls who look up to is the problem.
DeleteThere is a need for a like button for comment like yours.. You said all I wanted to say. It not easy being in the public eye and doing interviews daily. I don't believe she meant that women should be down trodden or not even the same opportunities as men. But she was referring to equality in marriage.. where there truly cannot be two leaders. Whether is the man or woman, let there be a clear leader and not does not mean that the leader disrespects the other or make the other feel less valuable.
DeleteI think Omotola is entitled to her opinion whether she got it wrong or not. At least she still has her marriage intact.
ReplyDeleteClearly, Omotola was asked what the secret of success in marriage is and answered accordingly. She spoke the bitter truth, please. In the context of marriage, there is no gender 'equality'. Secondly, I think it is grossly misleading to assume that every woman who declines the feminist tag is not interested in the welfare of the downtrodden in society. With respect, women were getting educated and making strides in their communities way before the feminist movement. Women were monarchs, warriors and so on without feminism. I can choose to fight for the rights of females (and males!) without becoming a feminist. Mary Slessor, a Christian missionary, fought against the killing of twins. Does this mean that everyone who is born a twin must either become a Christian or stand as a traitor? Of course not. Likewise, whilst we owe a debt of gratitude to many sects for various advances, we are not compelled to identify with those sects. At the end of the day, all we need is love and understanding to make things right in this world. We don't need another political movement.
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