IWD: Emboldening Women For Change

Occasions like the just celebrated International Women’s Day presents an opportunity to evaluate the achievement of women in their struggle for their right. Since the day was officially declared 106 years ago, women all over the globe have used the event to push for several demands including gender parity, economic equality, end to prejudice and insecurity faced by women in work places, marginalization and many more.
Indeed women in different parts of the world are daily faced with cultural, social, religious , economic barriers that hinder their growth and development. Ours is a society where women are denied education merely because of their gender. The situation is not different in the political sector – discrimination all the way.
But despite all these odds, many women have excelled in their various fields of endeavor. Today we have  women at the helm of affairs of many nations, organizations and establishments. In Engineering, Journalism, Education, Health, Business there are numerous female achievers who refused to be pulled down by the obstacles they faced and probably still face as women.
That is why this year’s theme for IWD’s celebration: Be Bold For Change, is very apt and interesting . The theme challenges women to be daring and courageous despite the barriers they face believing that if other women could break these barriers and make a difference, they too can do so.
However, it must be stated that these female achievers  did not wait for manner to fall from heaven. They equipped themselves for the challenge through hard work. Some of them prepared themselves for the challenge through quality education and constant training and retraining. The uneducated ones on the other hand, were able to make it through their sweat. In various communities across the nation we have great female farmers. These women are saddled with their machetes and hoes years unending, struggling to sustain their families, their communities and the nation at large. Some other women are trading daily under the rain and the sun. Through this they are able to feed their families and train their children in schools.
So, more women should be encouraged to emulate these successful women and equip themselves in order to make some positive impacts in the society. If women must achieve the equality they crave, they must work hard. We can encourage women to be bold and make a change by celebrating women that have broken the barriers, and made remarkable achievements. One of them is the State Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo. Her track record over the years right from her secondary school days at Queens College, Yaba , Lagos places her among great women to be celebrated. She is an outstanding administrator, a renown dermatologist, a core civil servant who has served the State in various capacities including, but not limited to being Head of Service, Secretary to the State Government, an Acting Commissioner and Permanent Secretary. Both in the formal and informal sectors such women abound. Celebrating them will embolden other women particularly the younger ones to work hard and aim higher.
However, women cannot do it alone. They need the support and encouragement of the male folk. If all husbands, brothers, uncles, male friends should value and support the women in their lives instead of looking down on them and putting stumbling blocks on their ways, women will surely do more. How about parents discriminating against their female children? The moment parents stopped valuing their male children more than the female and start treating them equally, the confidence of the female children will increase and that is a necessary instrument they need to succeed and make a change in life.

Calista Ezeaku