Knowing a woman’s worth…and acting upon it

Is the woman for hire? Why do men regard her as a commodity and expect her to swallow everything hook, line and sinker? Women give up their lives for men, but they try to impose on us the kind of lives we should live. A lot of the time, men tend to frustrate the opposite sex or their wives anytime they have a misunderstanding. Most of the time, what follows is the question: “Who does she think she is?” And that is in reference to her gender.

The only time a woman is regarded as valuable is when she is a working class lady and she holds a high-profile position.  What about re-establishing values back into the things that women do for society that have nothing to do with the workforce and career? A woman’s contributions to the society by raising kids, training them and taking care of the house seem to have been forgotten.

It is a general problem and I believe people generally do not value family ideals anymore. And when you do not value family ideals, there is just no way you can value the woman. There is need to understand that the woman is the basic foundation of any society.  Men generally believe that women are just commodities and sometimes are regarded as a chapter in a man’s life. And men are quick to say there are many fishes in the ocean. But then, for how long will they go fishing?

When women try to prove their worth by being independent, it almost always becomes a problem. Mrs. Bayo K., an accountant, said: “I will support any woman to work and earn a living for herself as she cannot always depend on a man for everything.” She added: “Though I am not saying a stay-at-home mother is not worth much, as the kids need to be catered for. But once they are above six, she will need to do something. Most women work, not for the fun of it but because they want to give their kids the best. While not wishing anything bad, what if something happens to the man?”

Rabi Lawal says though she is often devalued among her peers because she is a stay-at-home-mom, one day, the society will have her to thank for her decision. “People do not value what I do. They generally think that I am lazy. I would rather stay at home and sell things at home so that I can be with my kids. I know this debate will go on, but I know I made the right choice.”

Although the role of women in the society has been changing fast, it has not changed their prestige and ability to still handle and take control of the home front. No one says raising kids’ is not harde. It is something that even the most highly placed women in the society should see as a priority.  Women are seen to be the bedrock of the society as they say, teach a man and you teach an individual but teach a woman and you teach the whole world. “There is wisdom in this saying as women are meant to be the ones to lay the foundation for the society. If you doubt a woman’s worth, then listen to Alicia Keys’ lyrics and only then can you realise that you may have been wrong after all in your opinion about a woman’s worth.

And to women, we ought to know our worth in the society. As someone once said, there is one flaw in women that they constantly fail to realize, and that is forgetting one’s worth.