Tracing it’s roots back to the early 1900s, International Women’s Day celebrates women’s political and social achievement and seeks to achieve gender equality
The World Economic Forum estimates that the gap between gender equality won’t close completely for the next 158 years. Of cause we won’t live to witness this feat but we can all make sure that it happens by taking action today.
I grew up in a female headed household where I was the only male in the family. I got the same treatment my mother, grandmother and my aunts gave to the girls vice versa. I hated this, I wanted to be like other boys who were treated like kings, I didn’t want to do the chores, I wanted to play all day and believe that women are capable of nothing except household chores because that’s what the other kids were experiencing. Occasionally I would get the same treatment each time I got to visit other relatives.
I remember hearing older people say that women had no place in the world except the kitchen. Such scenarios sparked hatred towards the treatment I got at home. I hated how I was treated and longed for an older male to come along and put things in order.
During that time I did not realise that I was blessed and it took me a long time to realise this. My attitude towards women changed, I realized that they were not vulnerable at all and were capable of anything outside the household like their male counterparts.
A hundred and fifty eight years is a really long time and each of us, men or women have to play a part in making sure that we close the gap between gender equality.
We are all equal and we should always be aware of that and we should practice treating each other equally all the time. Talking from experience, children learn a lot from us adults and if we teach them how to treat each other equally, we can close the gender equality gap in no time.
