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I was at a policy dialogue event recently in Abuja, with great panelists discussing the role of gender in Nigeria’s foreign policy. A very well-coordinated guest stood up to explain how women have played bad roles in leadership positions, citing the example of Hillary Clinton and her role in the invasion of Afghanistan.
It was a very detailed argument he made, almost convincing the audience that women do not do enough in the roles they get. After patiently waiting for him to finish speaking, I took up the mic to offer a response. And, I started by explaining that for every woman he mentions who has made bad leadership decisions, 100 men can be mentioned with the same or worse level of bad decisions. And, if I remember well, Hillary Clinton’s spouse, Bill Clinton spent some part of his presidency tenure involved in an extra-marital affair scandal. But still, men get opportunities to be given leadership roles, every day. I also countered his argument that women in power do not fight for women’s causes by reiterating that when a woman is voted into a position, she is put there for the population she serves, not strictly for her gender. However, by being in that position, it heightens the role of representation which means that other women and girls can look at her and aspire for big things, knowing that it is possible.
I did not end without making emphasis on the gap in access to funding for women in political spaces, to match their counterparts in the lavish campaigning system Nigeria is popular for when he mentioned that women do not participate in politics. The playing ground is not equal for both men and women and so the level of participation cannot reflect the same energies.
This event, like many other, constantly expose the privilege that our patriarchal society has created for men making even the most educated of them oblivious to the struggles of women and their low representation in leadership. And when women have a million and one avoidable battles to fight like sexual and gender-based violence, poverty, child marriage, and poor healthcare systems that heighten maternal mortality rate, then yes, their leadership turnout will be affected.
There is also the poor argument that women are emotional beings, therefore incapable of being in leadership positions. And I tell them if emotions were such a weakness, why don’t you avoid that feeling of joy that sips into your heart when you receive that credit alert. Let’s see how far patriarchy takes you, as an unemotional being. And as a Psychologist, I can confidently say that no single individual is devoid of emotions. Emotions are part of who we are, as well as many other traits that define our individuality. I however agree that women tend to be more expressive of their emotions, and this is a weakness in patriarchy that has deprived men of the ability to experience openly and freely the full range of emotions attainable to them as human beings.
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