21st Century Woman: Historically, women have been consigned to the background. They were mostly found in the kitchen and other absurd places. Such instances could be seen in the modelling pictures from the 1970’s, portraying women as perfect in the kitchen and also the home a place where their fulfillment was met. To understand better, let’s look at the history of women in some celebrated parts of the world.
In most parts of the world, women have always been known for playing second fiddle to the men. In fact, the female child was hugely discriminated widely across the world as compared to their male counterparts who were cherished. Globally, the birth of babies were met with joy and felicitations but not in the case of the birth of a girl child.
For instance, in China, the drowning of infant girls were well tolerated in rural areas as an economic necessity. The birth of a girl child was often met with ridicule and bitterness. The female child was often seen as “another mouth to feed” or “another dowry to pay” and a “temporary member” of the family who would definitely leave to her husband kin to serve. Women were not allowed to work in factories in China as parents would always prefer to hang pictures of their sons in their rooms rather than that of their daughters.
Though things seemed a bit better in Africa, it was also glaring that boys were still more cherished. Girls were often regarded to as people who needed to learn about how to keep a family and to maintain a home. Women were seen as objects of reproduction/procreation. They were subjected to complying with whatever decision men had to make as men were regarded as the head of the family. As with matter of fact, women in Africa were just a mere “collection” in a gallery as men were often measured by the number of women they had.
The case was not quite different in Europe. As seen from fairy tales like; Cinderella, snow white, just to mention but a few, the position of females depended on how beautiful and whiter they were. They were mostly valued based on the position held by their parents. Although it should be said that this didn’t quite lift them head and shoulders above male counterpart.
However, there was soon to be a U-turn in situation of things across the world just after the world war II. Women seemed to have stepped up into the limelight gradually over the years since the world war II. Efforts were made by governmental bodies all over the world to see rise of women from their shackles.
In Africa, women started to see themselves as equals to their male counterpart. The famous myth “it is waste of time and money to educate the girl child” began to dwindle. More ladies enrolled into academic institutions with their success rate finding no boundaries. Africa have been blessed with the likes of Salwa Akhannouch, Bridgette Radebe, Hajia Bola Shagaya, Folorunsho Alakija; who have not just elevated themselves but the continent as a whole.
With the improved changes in women status across the world, it can be said that the 21st century woman now looks tall and elevated from her shackles of the past and now stands on an enviable pedestal. The acquisition of higher education and skill training has greatly increased productivity of women across the world.
The 21st Century woman is much more than just an ordinary housewife.