A "STRONG" WOMAN

A ‘strong’ woman is a woman of courage and strength; a woman brave enough to chase her dreams, irrespective of the odds. Nonetheless, there’s a difference between a “Strong Woman” and an “Arrogant Woman”.

Women have always been accused of being each other’s enemy, and this is because there seem to be a hidden dynamism of female misogynist that prevents us from being happy for each other; a dark seated force full of jealousy and backbiting. We must in this respect welcome and encourage women to stand up and support each other. This shouldn’t be labelled as feminism or pushing for equal rights. We live in a gender belief culture which is fully equipped with patriarch tools. Thus, women have been the 'oppressed majority' since the days of Adam.

Our grandmothers endured a lot without resistance but today’s woman has been liberated through mental and economic empowerment. This, of course, is bound to attract the backlash from male chauvinists, because change, as we all know, attract resistance; however, “strong women only intimidate boys but excites men”.

Women do not blindly jump to the defence of any woman who has rightly earned her deleterious title like Joyce Dzidzor, the fake HIV ambassador. No! Instead, we instinctively, in solidarity, come to the support of a fellow woman being referred to, at the least provocation, ‘inadequate’. Maya Angelou, highlighting on women’s empowerment, admonished that “each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women”.

Nana Kofi Brobbey sums this beautifully. "It is a common trend that most men cannot stand bold women. Women who know who they are and their worth and are not afraid to speak their mind". Our African society has been built over centuries gagging women and reducing them to the background on many occasions; and that in a way, plays a subconscious role in how many men of African descent perceive bold and strong women. They feel women with such characters are arrogant and that's why they are unmarried at a certain age. We, however, forget that marriage is a choice and it depends on the individual’s goals and aspirations to decide whether to get married at a point or not.

In fact, in today's society, it does not matter the achievements of a woman: she can be a PhD holder, a professor or even an astronaut. The fact that she’s unmarried or childless at a certain age is enough information to label her 'inadequate'. This has resulted in so many women rushing into and enduring abusive marriages. Others are going through ‘God knows what’ in the hands of fake pastors simply to meet societal requirements.

The truth of the matter is, there is a near opportunity cost when it comes to the modern-day woman. In sharing her opinion, Gloria Steiner argued that: “I am yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career”. It’s difficult, even though manageable, to pursue a full-time career, pursue education and manage a home at the same time.

Can today’s woman have it all? Maybe she can, but it may be difficult to have it all at the same time.