As a young lady in STEM, which is a male-dominated area, one often encounters toxic masculinity. Also, men in the field get more visibility, at times for less work. As a result, I have had to work extra hard to attain the same visibility as some of my men colleagues. These are major challenges many other women I know and I face in STEM. My approach toward these challenges has been to ignore the noise and focus on activities that move the needle. What I mean here is that as long as you focus on making an impact, eventually, people will come to terms with your worth as a woman…
-
-
The Role of Religious Leaders in Raising Unscripted and Unstoppable Girls.
After four years in a land far away from home, Jane had successfully bagged a degree in Economics and was ready to return home. She looked through the airplane window and smiled at the little country she was leaving. She had made friends here, seen beautiful sights and even found a church that reminded her of home but she didn’t mind missing all that if it meant coming home to where it truly mattered. She smiled as she thought about the entourage that would welcome her at the airport and mummy’s soup and semo that would be waiting for her. The welcome party was larger than she thought. “You have…
-
WHAT ABOUT BOYS?!!!
SAVE THE BOY-CHILD! HE IS BECOMING AN ENDANGERED GENDER! Many individuals claim that we have become so occupied with empowering the female child that men are becoming the endangered gender. True or otherwise, I have my reservations: I strongly believe it is a machination to get us to water down our efforts at seeking female empowerment. Oftentimes though, I feel hit by these unfounded accusations. I see them as a ploy to sway the narrative in favour of the boy-child, even though there is virtually no distinction between both children when they are forming. Why not let a child define who they will become, all by themselves? Why deny them…
-
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD 2019 LOADING 70 PERCENT
Last year, we took a bold step forward in a bid to crushing societal stereotypic thinking toward the girl-child, we ignited the fire that burns brightly in the heart of the girl-child and we helped guide her heart on setting her foot on the track of her own choosing. And as the annual International Day of the Girl Child draws near, we are here again, super-geared to help the girl-child break out of the cages of ready-made expectations in order for her to redesign her own dreams with the numerous blocks that pile up around her. We cannot fold our arms while the society continues to tag our girls with…
-
STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS) IS NOT MEANT FOR GIRLS.
“Please sir, I would like to create a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) awareness program for girls. It is an initiative to introduce girls from the junior secondary school to the wonders and possibilities of science, math, technology and engineering …,” the principal read aloud, his eyes widening. Then he glanced up from his letter, pulled off his thin glasses, placed it on the table as he stared at the younger man standing in front of him. “That is my problem with you corpers. You come here thinking you can turn everyone’s head with white people’s nonsense then you go home disappointed when nothing really changed. This is…
-
WHEN THE NORMAL BECOMES ABNORMAL ALL IN THE NAME OF PATRIARCHY
One fine Tuesday morning in January, Dennis walked into his class for early morning lectures. Since he was late, he took one of the vacant seats in the last row, just beside a girl in his class. As the lectures commenced, he scribbled fast and paid rapt attention hanging on to every word the lecturers spoke. After classes, his stomach growled and rumbled so loudly that he picked up his bag, sprang up from his seat and started towards the door a little faster than he should have. Suddenly, all the students started towards the door as well. It was as though someone had rung a bell because they…
