By Nwaku Goodness Chidimma
Five people vied for the post for president in my department. 4 males, and my female friend. My friend was discouraged from competing for various reasons. One reason was that they haven’t seen or heard of any female president before in our department. Another reason was that no one believed females were capable leaders. There were many suggestions that she should contest for the role of vice-president instead though she was ‘Super’ capable of doing the job if she is elected.
In the end, my friend won despite the oppositions. People voted her not only because she was the only female contestant but because she was well qualified for the job. That single decision made much difference for us. Gender equality, one of the global goals, is focused on women not because men aren’t important but because women are the most marginalized.
The gap between both genders is vast and needs to be bridged. Gender equality means giving girls and women the same rights and opportunities that are the same as the ones men have. Across the world, there are many barriers to women growth and empowerment, and they range from culture to religion to societal norms and perceptions; which cause women to be underrepresented in the employment sector, innovations, sciences, technology, education, politics, health, etc.
What are the policies that are needed to be made to support women’s participation in politics and also protect them?
According to a report by the International Labour Organization, it says that in 2013, the global employment to population ratio was 72% for men and 47% for women. Also, there are fewer women in managerial positions than men. In some case, when they do work, they are even paid less. Most of the time the places women do work in are informal employment and outstanding jobs. This could be caused by societal perceptions and policies restricting women. Cultural norms like; female genital mutilation, early child marriage are part of the issues. This causes women to be found majorly in the most indigent population. They are also the primary victims of rape, sexual abuse, and violence. 1 in 3 women globally is experiencing violence according to a report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2013). How can we protect our girls and women?
Women need to raise their voice.
How can we urge and encourage women to contribute more to the economy? What are the policies that are needed to be made to support women’s participation in politics and also protect them? How can we encourage girls and women to use/raise their voices? Creating and implementing policies that support the empowerment of women and also protects them. Nigeria has laws which govern various aspects of both private and public life, yet those laws are not applied consistently when the issues of child marriage, sexual or domestic violence comes up. It’s not enough to make policies, relevant structures and systems need to be brought into existence to see to it that policies are implemented. Women need to raise their voice. Recently, a social media campaign with the hashtag #Arewametoo saw northern women in Nigeria raising their voice against sexual violence, creating more awareness about the illness. Other campaigns are rising, and systems are being made to support victims of sexual and domestic violence. Girls and women need to be encouraged to take a career in STEM-related fields. STEM which is an acronym for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” which is otherwise a male-dominated field.
Read More About the Sustainable Development Goal 5
When there are no women in STEM-related fields we are losing the perspectives of half of the world’s population, and this has a drastic effect. Women need to take part in leadership. When they take part in policy making the policies and laws are more for the collective interest of all. Bridging the gender gap should be everyone’s priority because when we create equality for all, it boosts productivity and can raise the country GDP etc. hence the society and every sector of the economy benefit massively from it. So, let’s create a balanced society.
