Gender What?
From a young age, society would create separate roles for males and females. It is assumed that a boy should wear blue and a girl pink. Boys should aspire to be firefighters and policemen while girls should aspire to be models and teachers. This is the stereotypical norm, but what happens when the girl desires to be a firefighter or a policewoman? What if the boy aspires to be a model? Are these children now to be considered wrong or should they be assumed to be homosexual in some way?
Over the past few decades, women have tremendously progressed worldwide in equality and gender perception. However, in some cultures including many African cultures, men and women are still placed in arbitrary pigeonholes. But is this right? Should young men and women limit their possibilities simply because of “how we do things?” In the age of female presidents and CEOs, could it be that many of us Africans need to let go of outdated views and stereotypes?
Growing up, it has been an inspiration to see the various jobs my mother has worked. Growing up in Ghana, my mother was a teacher, and she also worked as a firefighter, rising to very high ranks within her profession. I could imagine that even in today’s world, many men would have an issue with a firefighter wife. Seeing my mother not only hold this job but do it well has shown me that as women there is no job we cannot excel in. We should not allow society or others to dictate limits on our dreams. Dream big, dream widely and dream vividly!