… For the Other Sex…

Whoever has not heard of the term “Gender Equality” on this side of the globe is either patriarchal or from a different planet from ours entirely. It might not be known by those words – gender equality put conversely comes in different shades and shapes – sex bias, subjugation, suppression, oppression, and degradation of the gender seen as the other sex, distinctly different from the hegemony. If the truth be told, the world is way too patriarchal to give room for the kind of equality certain voices crave for. The thought of this imbalance makes me wonder when the societies of the world would be restructured to balance the rights of sexes.
For the purpose of clarity, UNICEF describes that gender equality “means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections. It does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike.” This is to say that while the biological differences in sexes are naturally noticeable, nature has not placed one gender over another. While it could be said that there have been some measure of equality in terms of rights, resources and protections, same cannot be said of opportunities. That is most times the bone of contention.
If a female is accorded the right to be educated as much as the male, as it is the case today, why should a female not be given a level-playing ground to compete favourably for positions in the labour market; in politics and the making of policies; Why should a female be paid less for the same job a male gets a higher pay; why should she be made to give what “she has” to get what she deserves? As laughable as it may sound, I still wonder why people are not judged based on what they know and what they can do rather than the gender nonsense. The reason might just be because we are too culturally inclined and conventionally defined that we are scared of disrupting the patriarchal status quo.
Gender equality implies that every person should be treated equally in every situation – that is, people’s humanity should be considered first and above their sex or sexuality. This is to say that be it a male or a female, being human is the first criterion for consideration, except in cases where exceptions are considered necessary. If gender equality is generally accepted and accorded the kind of seriousness it deserves, we should begin to see more female representations in areas where the men have monopolised for so long – in politics, administration, education, the economy, the health sector, and so on.
As I bring this essay to a close, it is my candid opinion that the affairs of the world would be better managed if the female gender gets the same opportunities as the male in territories where the sex of a person does not get the job done. As the cliché goes, what is good for the gander is good for the goose; gender equality must be achieved if we must achieve a balance in the affairs of the world.