International Women’s Day: The Role Of Women In A Progressive Society

The role of women in the society is very important, they are the architect upon which foundation of a progressive society is laid upon. The role they play through families and the world at large, in helping to shape the society and provide healthy environment through inculcating values and ethics, and moral into the lives of the children, women are the fulcrum upon such healthy and progressive society can be achieved. The voice has become bigger spreading through politics to make inclusive policies that will see women take proactive part in contributing to developing innovative ideas that will be massive asset for the world, amidst women rights and gender equality.

The issue that has been of great concern is the one of gender equality, where women are not there to inclusively to participate in the policy making which will affect their wellbeing, they will be lack of proper representation, regarding the proper set of people who supposed to be part of it. United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has said that it will take 300 years to achieve gender equality. Which is a large scope of space to come up with solution on a particular which is pressing the society, women will be definitely be impatient with such large number of time to bring them to the limelight. He added, when speaking with UN women’s rights group, “progress towards gender equality is vanishing before our eyes.”

The myriads of problems girls and women are facing will be brought to the discussion on this relevant time where, maternal mortality, girls being kidnapped and forced into early marriage, and largely assaulted and prevented from going to school. With all these still in place, women need more voice to talk about issues affecting them, in determining that will curb and mitigate the society burden. With reference to Afghanistan, where girls have been isolated from school, it is harsh treatment that such extreme view of patriarch society still exist, on course to provide a level playing ground for everyone irrespective of the gender, attempt to include women and girls in the public life has failed in the Middle East country.

Articles by inspiring women:

• Martha Koome: Women’s rights campaigner that saved Kenyan democracy

• Ketanji Brown Jackson: The tale of first black female Supreme Court Justice

• Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry

Antonio Gueterres, still on women’s rights stressed that “women’s rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world, particularly, including Afghanistan, where women and girls have been erased from public.” Afghanistan under the Taliban rule has made life difficult for women, in a world where championing of gender equality course has been world campaign but the issue in Middle East has set the course century back. On Monday, young Afghan women gathered outside Kabul University to protest the Taliban’s ruling on female education. Not only were they restricted from right to education, the reports gathered and presented to Human Rights Council, noted that the rise in forced and child marriages, the ban excluding women from other public life spaces like parks and gyms, and the limiting their choice to travel and work independently in Afghanistan.

Last year the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the earliest precedent set in that case which rights to abortion is left in the hands of the concerned individuals, has been replaced with the coming effect of the judgment, leaving the right to abortion up to individual states. It is an important case which received mixed feelings globally, the effect it will have on other countries will say how welcoming the judgment is on course for gender equality and precisely on women rights, it will be non-arguable that if all the judges that overturned Roe v. Wade were women any outcome will be a win-win for women, they will be in the better position to look out for themselves, but individual opinions seem inevitable in this context.

In Africa, gender equality and women rights have hit the rock bottom, women in most occasions play second fiddle to the opposite gender, which has created enough loopholes on the struggle in Africa. The notorious kidnap in 2014 by Islamic sect- Boko Haram, in Nigeria on the Chibok communities, which leave number of girls kidnapped up to more than 200 in the school, since then subsequent attacks have been targeted on predominantly girls school, and the tale of Leah Sharibu has summoned the backwardness on course for women rights in Nigeria, and Africa at large.

Gender equality and women rights need urgent and collective efforts to breed a progressive society where everyone will be looked after, equal education, employment and wages; this has been the constant issues on women football, where they are seriously advocating for equal pay in football. While the world is fast moving towards science and technology, women have less representation in this field, they need to be included for a progressive and balanced society when making policies generally.