Why Gender Equality Is A Problem For The African Woman

Marie Elise GBEDO graduated from Law School in 1984. She is the first African women candidate for presidential elections (2001 and 2006).

As many a people are against the agitation for gender egalitarianism by the feminists, so also I am against any father who deprives his female children their fundamental human rights because they are girls, or any mother who deprives her male children of their fundamental human rights because they are boys.

In June, I wrote an article that was published in our dailies titled: ''Surname: Why Not Mother's Name?'' that article welcomed a lot of thanks from readers but mainly the thanks were replete from the women side, because the issue I addressed in that article concerned them. I regret that I could not answer the question of one man who called my line asking what could be done to influence the right of the girl-child in our society, because my cell phone was a shocker. It has outlived its purchased money. But my advice to the man is, perhaps it was only female children he has and did not intend to marry again, he should Will all his property to them. (Lawyers are in the better position to advise him). So, when the world people see him no more, his relatives won't be intimidating the wife and children, thereby causing them turn abject destitute.

In the African traditions and as well in the Christendom, except by false interpretations of the two traditions, I don't think that any of the traditions allow women headship, except by permission and in the kind of government called Democracy, which effect we have seen in a part of Europe where woman is a ''king''

The human head allowed the word, democracy, run in their senses more than it's boldly written on the Dictionary. Democracy now runs in our blood and in our veins than we could possibly explain. It is this government that brought about the axiom: “What a man can do, a woman can do better”, by the feminists. There is no right thinking mother or woman who can subscribe to that axiom, because unveiling literarily, what men do, women can't try them let alone, doing it better.

This axiom has brought divvy into many married homes today. Imagine a home where the man gives an order and the woman thwarts it because of equality! The issue of headship is no more found in our homes, because the African woman is fighting for equality with the men.

Any right thinking woman has to give the men respect, likewise any right thinking man has to love the woman the agape love. The measure of success of any (man) husband is not by mental or physical ability to make money, but by the loving and kind way he treats his wife and children.

The advent of “what a man can do, a woman can do better, by the feminists, has created the spirit of disrespect in wives to their husbands, and in girls, t the boys resulting to the men now treating the women with poorly rated love and shelve the issue of ''weaker vessel'' by the side, which women even no longer believe today they are.

Christian women no longer subscribe to Genesis 2:21-24: ''God proceeded to build the rib that He had taken from the man into the woman and bring her to the man'' And even, the Moral Man in the bible told his critics in His days: ''Did you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and the female?'' With this, can we not see that there is supremacy built in the man over the woman?

Christianity is the most saleable religion in the world today, and many cultures or traditions are dropping for it, because the knowledge of the subject is profound.

When the Creator of the world told the Man of Morality, as recorded in Genesis 1: 26, ''Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness'', He did not say, let Us make a man and a woman at the same time. So, there is supremacy!

Even before man was created, the Man of Morality whom He, the Creator created ''Came to be beside Him as a master'', according to Proverbs 8:22-30,''the Firstborn of all creation'' He's not a woman!

The bible figuratively called this Man, Lamb of God, and it showed he's a husband. Remember? An Angel once said; as recorded in John 1: 29; Revelation 21: 9,''Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife''. We could be imagining who the Lamb's wife is but they are the Man's faithful-anointed followers. (Revelation 14:1,3).

While He was a Model to the Christians, 1 Peter 2: 21 did not terse the truth as it chronicled: ''The head of every man is the Christ; as the head of every woman is man; and the head of Christ is God''. But today, most women do not remember this or are ignorant of it, but rather do remember and use the feminists slogan: ''What a man can do, a woman can do better''. Who told you!

This slogan has corrupted the minds of these women that respect to their husbands and the role a mother is supposed to play in the house are now thrown into the bins for the much touted ''gender equality''. This is why many homes today are comatosed because the headship principle was not applied. And the family could not find success, love, peace and happiness, which are factors that shouldn't lag in marriage.

As men have been assigned the headship, if the feminists like it or not, I don't subscribe to a man dominating his wife, as many men commonly do, without blinking an eyelid. Man should assign the wife honour, treat her as a prized possession, and consider her feelings, always treating her as a human being who also deserves respect and dignity.

And, also, in all these, the woman should not forget that the proverbial goat that wanted to be fat as the cow had its anus burst.

Elaborations are much in my head, but I will close this article with the knowledge in 1 Peter 3: 3:7,''œrather a man to harshly dominate the wife, he should assign her honour as to a ''eaker vessel'', the feminine one. This is a note the African woman should understand and use.

It was not written in Africa or by Africans, but on the marble of history.

So, Gender Equality: Why A Problem For African Woman?


Story by Odimegwu Onwumere/Nigeriafilms.com