TREND
OF DEFIANCE: #WifeNotCook, #HusbandNotATM.
One of the aberrations
our culture has persistently veiled, and is being reinforced by the predominant
religious influences, is that of gender inequality. This has grossly restricted
women’s ability to domestic works while their male counterparts are being afforded
all the time and resources needed to have the best education possible. This
trend has been deeply rooted into our culture since time immemorial and very
unfortunately, it’s still enduring especially among the lower social class. If
young girls were brought up with the mindset of a complete financial reliance
on their partners, and the boys were also programmed never to visit the
kitchen, the haven for these periodic social outbursts would have been
inadvertently created in the process. It would therefore remain latent until
such conditions as the current economic hardship, gross exploitation etc.
trigger a chaos.
This gender ‘war of
tags’ has continued unabated over the past few days. In fact, certain
individuals have taken it beyond the social media platforms, and have resolved
to customising it on their wears. While the poor level of education, gender
inequality and the worrisome economic situation have been blamed, our
correspondence has taken a critical look at the situation and has proffered
ways to end this somewhat interminable trend:
“I believe both males
and females should learn how to cook. It is a basic skill. It should not belong
to one gender. This is especially important in periods of invalidity of the
wife, perhaps due to illness, pregnancy, among several others. In these
periods, the husband should be ready to bear the burden of having to cook alone
for the family. This could only be achieved if the husband has routinely been
assisting his wife in the domestic works. The men should disregard whatever
ideology they have been indoctrinated into from childhood that their wives
‘belong to the kitchen and the other rooms’ and start showing some sense of
responsibility. Besides that, they also need to educate their wards against
this trend.
Another important
factor worthy of note is that both genders should always strive to be
financially sufficient. The women have, over the years, performed so badly in
this regard despite the widespread awareness. While they crave a wonderful
social life, the bulk of them, especially the young, unmarried women, put all
their financial burden at the doorstep of their beloved. Having to plait the
hair, visit the cinema, subscribe for internet access, buy new clothes, shoes,
bags and sometimes food would overwhelm their partners, and it doesn’t take
more than the current economic recession to trigger a war. Young ladies and
married women also have to be reoriented about the need for them to be financially
self-reliant, and to understand that their roles are not limited to the
confines of the kitchen.
On a final note, it
would be nice, especially for married couples to be flexible and understanding,
one complementing the work of the other.”
Written
by Martial and Gaston Phoenix
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