• Woman, Thou art free

We are plagued in the world today by various natural and artificial phenomenon. I know of one that I feel is the deadliest of them all which is “mental slavery “. It’s potency lies in the fact that the victim is not aware of the condition. Majority of its victims are the women.

In most societies regardless of the social strata, the woman is still highly susceptible to this disease. The society has built a certain status quo for the female gender. They dictate how you dress, where you live, how far you can study, where you work, how you sit, walk. Infact down to what you eat. When a girl dreams ,she is termed too ambitious. When she’s successful they believe she is either sleeping around. It dictates how far she can go even in her academic and career pursuit. I have heard of experiences where ladies are refused accommodation that are able to pay for simply because they are just women and therefore might bring in men every night. I have had my own fair of this sick mentality. Some time last year I went for a job interview with my friends and we finished quite late. We got to the bus stop and was waiting for a cab to take us home. It was dark so we had to stand by the roadside, every guy that drove by on seeing us, slowed down and sized us with their eyes that was filled with lust. It then dawned on me that they were actually thinking we were call girls. I was so disgusted, I thought to myself am not even dressed like one but then that was the stereotype every girl standing by the roadside once it’s dark automatically becomes a call girl.

The society has set a standard and height for the female gender. After school get married, take care of your husband and children. Doing otherwise is an abnormality. When you fight for financial stability and freedom, people tell you why are you stressing yourself.. You are woman, you will get married, your husband will take care of you. As a result, women has fallen into the pit of financial dependence and most of them cannot climb out of it.

My concern now isn’t the society but the woman who has unconsciously accepted this as her fate. They don’t dream big no more, they don’t put in their best in their career. They are no longer yearning for personal development and that’s the disease.

I admit that a lot has changed, women are climbing up the career ladder daily, defiling odds, breaking the status quo but a lot still has to be done. More grounds still need to be covered. If this doesn’t happen no matter how much we preach women empowerment, it still won’t be effective because the woman still battles with this mentally.

I have a heard a song that the lyric says “to be a man is not a day’s job,

Oh woman thou art set free

Soar like the eagle

Roar like the lion

Run like the cheetah

Sting like the viper

You can do anything

You can be anything

Look behind your limitations.

You are powerful, stronger than you know it.