Do you know that some women cannot own their own business or even personal bank accounts without the permission of their husband’s, or giving him full access to it? Do you know that women in Nigeria cannot own lands in some regions due to culture?
Some persons may be tempted to say that they can farm on their family lands, yes I agree, but you would agree with me that nothing permanent can be built on those lands because she doesn’t own it. The family can wake up one morning, decide to sell off the land, and the woman goes back to scratch to build her business. How sad!
Do you know that some men would rather that their wives sell her farm produce in small quantities than allow her produce in large quantities, sell to many markets, and make lots of money? Thier reason being that they woman will become too independent and not listen to them anymore, forgetting that if the woman makes lots of money, she can then contribute more to the running of the household. You have heard people often ask on social media who will resign if the husband makes 100,000 a month, and the woman 300,000.
Many people are quick to say the woman should resign because the man is the head of the family, forgetting that with the woman’s income, the family would have more purchasing power to take care of their needs. As we mark the 2022 International Women’s Day, we have to consciously decide to support our women- wives, sisters, mothers, aunts, daughters- in business, to break the business biases that hinder their success.Women are nurturers.
Nothing placed in a woman’s hands dies. It’s a unique gift from God, and that’s why women are able to bring forth and nurture new life into the world. If you know that she can be exploited in business, teach her to stand her grounds, teach her how to negotiate, how to conquer new markets, how to break even. Let’s not allow the women we profess love to everyday suffer because we want to exercise our authority over them. Instead let’s support them, stand by them, hold their hands, and guide them to the light.Success has many friends.
Everyone likes to be associated with successful people. You have the opportunity to create a successful woman. What are you waiting for?
Written by: Francisca Chinelo Ekwonu, Advocate for Women Economic Inclusion and Empowerment
