“Contribution to women development" [Writer's contest 3]

If you saw a brand called “MEN SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO WOMEN DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOCIETY” would you like I will, find the undertone connotation rather humorous? I mean telling men what they already should have stamped to their foreheads.

This writer is not a feminist but I think, telling men to contribute to women development is like saying “men, get your wives presents on every anniversary”. In essence, I am of the view that men should not wait until they are reminded before they stand up for their female counterparts and this is the crux of this article.

Suffice it to say that the term development connotes growth in all ramifications including social and societal.

Against this background, the fact that men should significantly help in the growth and development of their female counterparts cannot be underestimated and it is not a notion based on baseless assumptions but one that could be based on the following grounds:

First of all, men and women alike are equal subject matter before God and in the eyes of the law. Using the Nigerian constitution as an example, it provides that every person has a right to life and every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and every person shall be entitled to liberty. Interestingly, the constitution provides further in Section 42 that “A citizen of Nigeria irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political opinion or sex shall not be subject to discrimination.”

Certainly, there is no gainsaying that men should stand up for women because apart from the issue of gender equality, Ban Ki-moon once said that “sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.

Furthermore, in emphasizing the need for women development, Mahnaz Afkham said “The connection between women's human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent”. Bella Abzug  also said “Women will not simply be mainstreamed into the polluted stream. Women are changing the stream, making it clean and green and safe for all -- every gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, age, and ability.”

I believe that the world will definitely be a better place for everyone irrespective of gender when men (as a generic term) realize that women are worth more than sex symbols or marketing strategy or advertisement articles as the case is right now. The time has come for women to stop being the subject matter of callous and unfair acts such as rape, subjugation, injustice, degradation and oppression.

If I see a group of men advocating for women’s right, growth and development, I would clap and dance whole-heartedly, I will rejoice, for it is a sign of peace, tranquility and happiness and if you think that is a sign of feminism, then we all should be feminists.

NAME:  Otubu Misthura