Indeed, the women are very hardworking, hence they can be equally found in farms sweating under the hot sun to contribute their quota to national development in various ways.
They are also found in the fishing industry, petty trading, and holding key positions in the government and in the private sector.
Women are also playing a critical role in the upbringing of their children, yet a good number of them live in abject poverty.
However, their own attitudes in society also contribute to their underdevelopment and backwardness.
For example, some of them like to live a flamboyant style, particularly as seen during occasions like naming ceremonies, initiations and marriage ceremonies.
During these occasions, women are often seen dishing out thousands of Dalasis, which sometimes took them donkey years to accumulate only to be lavishly spent in one particular day.
Take their informal savings scheme known as 'Osusu', which helps them raise huge sums of money. Yet, a good number of them choose to eat it all up in a day!
For the few who are wise, they buy valuable things, such as furniture and other household items, new clothes, cooking materials or even a plot of land.
The essence of hard work is to live a modest life, but not the opposite.
For others, they prefer partying rather than saving for other useful purposes.
We, therefore, encourage the Women's Bureau and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to engage our hardworking women in a dialogue.
The purpose would be to explain to them the need for a change of attitude to better plan their lives, and to set a good example to the younger generation by adopting a dress code with emphasis on the virtue of dressing modestly and respectably, especially in public.
no buts in hard working women,..some of d flamboyant life as stated in article has nothing to do with their underdeveloped and backwardness, i therefore challenge u to re-frame your statement as we all know the hell women in my country re going through in bringing up their kids and even feeding they family as most of our men only sit in the Bantaba's(gathering) discussing issues that ve no positive effect on their lives.
ReplyDeletei also agree with FC....
ReplyDeletethere is nothing flamboyant in being enganged in social/community ceremonies loke the naming ceremonies or wedding. these occasions have a functions in the community social norms and values and mainatining the social networks... which men entirely ignore! it it were not for these ceremonies women will not have a support system and networks to help them in other social roles and responsibilities!
both political/economic/social/reproductive roles are equally important and must be respected!
i think women should be given enough opportunities to have enough finances to fullfill both their productive and community roles without expectind them to sacrifice their social responsibilities for their productive roles!