Black and Female? African Women’s Struggles for Credibility
From seemingly ancient times to the current day, being African or of African descent has automatically placed aspiring students and professionals at the bottom of an uphill battle. There was a time where it was scientifically accepted as fact that Africans were anatomically disadvantaged and incapable of reaching advanced levels of intelligence. This struggle has left deep scars in the heritage and memory of Africans, yet the stigma is further compounded by a simultaneous struggle against gender discrimination.
Africans have faced discrimination for centuries, yet women have been marginalized for much, much longer. In the Bible, it was shown that women were being marginalized as early as the first century AD, and it is highly likely that the suffering of women has gone back even farther. Sadly, in the same way, Africans have not fully recovered from their age of plight and the same is equally true for women. This brings to mind the question of how we, as women, can survive the double burden.
In the professional world, women have fiercely struggled against what is known as the “Glass ceiling.” This “Glass ceiling” is an invisible but firm limit on women’s professional mobility, and has caused countless cases of qualified women to be passed over for promotions given to equally or less qualified men. This practice is also found in academic settings, where according to civilrights.org, women face discrimination in attaining higher degrees especially in fields such as Math and Science.
Despite the unfavorable conditions we face as women, there are glimmers of hope. In an age of female prime ministers and heads of state, women are reaching new heights and chipping away at this “glass ceiling,” many of whom are women of color.
There are no heights that we cannot reach, and no goal that we cannot attain. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” I encourage you to take this text as a personal mantra and challenge yourself to reach greater heights. Young black girls and women everywhere will appreciate your contribution to their futures.
[...] discussion about African women's struggle for credibility: “Africans have faced discrimination for centuries, yet women have been marginalized for [...]
[...] discussion about African women's struggle for credibility: “Africans have faced discrimination for centuries, yet women have been marginalized for [...]