Womens Economic Rights> INNOCENT AZIH'S COMMENTS

[jjowa@xxxxxxxxxxx]

> > Your piece ie by Imoukhuoede(Mrs) was a brilliant 
one,
> however I think the gender equality discourse was beig
> stretched into the reasonably ridiculous.
> For in stance should women really demand equality with
> women in all things, all spheres of life?
> Already women rights at the economic front has not 
been
> totally breached by any deliberate effort of any. It
> is common knowledge that women in the 1960s were in
> the fore front for rights and democracy agitation
> which has since died down in this generation.
> Beyond this, we know that the competition between
> women and their male counterparts at the economic
> fronts has been blamed for the ills of the society.
> Apart from that, are women not disadvantaged by
> overburdening themselves in this agitation? Having to
> stress themselves at work, bear children and keep the
> homefront. Given the African culture is it no longer a
> thing of pride that the women should be under their
> husbands?
> Culturally, should women also contest as traditional
> rulers? Should they also search out their husbands as
> men do their wives?
> If women have to have 50 % of every opportunity there
> are, will their positions as wives alter?
> It is notable that areas that have been liberalised 
for
> gender-equality participation have been abused
> especially the social sector, in the city and the
> higher institutions.
> We also note that exclusive programmes floated for
> women by governments have not achieved the desired
> dividend because women soon become swayed by
> peripheral and mundane aspects of such projects which
> derail the core objectives. For instance,the Better
> Life Project, FEAP and FSP failed because the
> participants turned the projects as grounds for
> showcasing who among them could afford the uniforms,
> and who could show she was more exclusive than the
> rest. The exercises had turned into jamborees of some
> sort.
> If they had used women organisations already on the
> ground such as co-operatives to push their 
objectives, more
> women would have been economically empowered and we
> will be close to closing the gender gap without
> necessarily depending on multiple conferences and
> workshops which only the highly connected attend and
> which outcome hardly get implemented.
> The NGOs on their part will have to do more to
> disabuse the belief that all the hype is not solely
> for the attraction of funding form international
> organisations without any physical benefits on the
> ground to show as impact.
> Women should also relate better with fellow women,
> experience has shown that they are more prone to
> antagonising one another, especially when some will
> have to show who is more powerful, more connected or
> richer than the other.
> I hope that this criticism will help to bring the best
> from the interactions and for gender equality.
> thanks.
> INNOCENT AZIH
>
>
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