Women want to be respected too
Men want to be respected. That is what you hear everyone say. Men wish to be loved and cared for, and treated like babies.
I hear that all the time and everywhere you go you find these kind of statements. I read about it in the papers, on the radio is amplified and everything about pleasing men.
Fellow women believe a man should be respected and treated like a baby to be happy, faithful, and stay connected to you. (It is all a lot of nonsense. A man who is determined to disrespect you will still be disrespectful. Men cheat on their beautiful and most loyal and respectful wife).
Well, what about me? I deserve to be respected and treated like a baby too. I’m a person too as I reflect.
Most African cultures idolize men, and they know women worship them and they take advantage of that.
No one hears the voices of women because of lack of general appreciation of women. Women are treated less of an equal, taught to worship men as a demigod. Please do not get me wrong.
I have nothing against “ Respect” per se; however, I feel respect has to be mutual. We both needed to be respected. Note that I am not referring to gender or anything of the sort. My point is as human beings; we ought to respect each other in mutual ways and not one-sided.
Me and I, as a person, should feel respected even before my gender comes into play.
As a woman, I matter just as much as a man matters. Being a woman should not disadvantage me as a person. I am not a lesser being because of my gender. I am equally important and able to give love, respect, and support, and I expect the same back.
Men and society, in general, have an unconscious bias towards women, which leads to disrespecting women in many ways without even realising it.
I will mention but a few ways in which men and society disrespect women:
Five ways in which men disrespect women
1. Staying away for long hours with friends colleagues
It’s a lack of respect and regard for your Partner that causes you to stay out late with your friends or workmates without thinking about your Partner or wife at home
2. Taking long-winded calls from females and female workmates.
Claiming they are just your friends is foolhardy. If your wife begins to take long-winded calls from men claiming they are workmates or childhood friends, is that good? That is disrespecting your wife in all areas. Men do it, despite hurting the wife’s feelings.
3. Not helping with housework
Thinking chores are for women only. Even in situations where your wife is unwell, the expectation is she will clean and cook for you.
4. Ignoring the wife/ Partner
It’s also a lack of respect that causes a man not to reply to messages sent by the girlfriend/ wife/ fiancee, whatever the case might be. Avoiding to discuss important things and issues that affect the relationship is also a sign of disrespect. A person that respects you would not do that to you.
I have many friends who experience disrespect in one way or the other.
I have also read many articles, magazines, and books stating men want to be respected, yet I have never come across an article talking about Women wishing to be respected. It is not something you usually find in magazines or randomly.
As I was writing this, article I decided to do some research. I came across an interesting young man from India named Aakash Khanna, age 19, saying women do a lot and need respect. He asked men to take respecting women not as a “ Rule” But as a “Responsibility”. https://www.thersa.org/blog/2016/01/respecting-women.
I certainly agree with Aakash; Men need to change the way they perceive women and the way they treat us.
No woman under the sun wants to be looked down upon, ignored and made to feel small.
Men carry power and authority; Power exerted wrongly brings about many ills, including Gender-based Violence, Rape and murdering of women. In some homes, this misapplication of power may not escalate to this level. However, the ill-treatment of women carries on every day in women’s lives and is a fear that most women harbour.
As a woman, mother of one daughter, I care about how women are treated by men and by society in general . The majority of men think because they can provide for their family, then that is it. Job, done. The rest they are exempt from doing. From my observation, men have it all wrong.
A woman can provide for herself too and can provide for the children as well. I know women who work hard and are wonderful providers for the family and the people around them.
This saying may sound cliche. However, it is still true to the bone. “Educate a girl, and You educate a nation “.
As women, we work hard, and we always remember to give back to society in one way or another. We always remember others. In most cases, we put others first and ourselves last. Women work. We get things done. I can attest to this because the Foundation I founded is run by women and supported by women. And we get “things done” if we say we are “ feeding a “100 “children “, we feed a hundred children, Not 30 not 50 but a 100. https://www.foodnutritionfoundationfoundation.com
The late Margaret Thatcher, former Prime minister of Britain, once said, “ if you want something said, tell a man . Want anything done say to a woman “. I have found this Statement true and very useful. When I speak as a woman, society may wish to resist what I am saying simply because of my gender.
When I ask a man to speak on my behalf, everyone’s ears stand up to hear what he has to say. If I go into a meeting with my assistant, a male, The menfolk will want to address my assistant when addressing the meeting, and he will keep referring them to me. This constant struggle that women continue to face in this day and age.
I remember supervising a Building Project. The level of slack added to the Budget was unbelievable, yet each time I pointed out the anomalies, the builders would get disgruntled and justify it.
When a male colleague went through the figures and mentioned the slack, everyone suddenly showed a willingness to adjust the figures.
That is another form of disrespect to women. Being lied to and wanting to exploit women is shameful.
My abilities as a woman are endless, and yet society throws obstacles at me simply because of my gender. What a shame.
Suppose society wants to make progress and achieve the unimaginable. Society must start by respecting women too in every sphere of life.
I pray my daughters’ generation will experience life more positively than I have experienced it. I pray her generation and next to come won’t have to go through the challenges of today’s society.
