A Resource Officer at the US Embassy in Accra, Myra Michelle Brown, has stressed the need for parents to train their children, especially boys, to understand and appreciate women right from infancy.
This she said will help boys (who will eventually grow to become men) break free from societal norms that suggest that men should dominate women and that women on the other hand should be subservient and submissive to men.
Speaking to participants at a lecture to mark the celebration of Women’s History Month at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (University of Ghana, Legon), Ms Brown stated that from infancy men are taught to be tough, courageous, express no pain or emotion except anger and fear. The lecture was on the theme ‘21st Century Women Leaders’.
A video of Tony Porter, an educator and activist who is internationally recognized for his effort to end violence against women, which was shown to the audience further explained that men from childhood are put in a “man box”- which programmes them to believe that men are to be in charge and lead – a mentality the video explained can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and others.
Ms Brown stated that for women to break free from stereotypes, thereby changing the mindset of society about the female, they would have compete for jobs and positions with men and exhibit their intellectual capacities at the workplace. And the tool to achieving such a feat only lies in the educating women, she emphasised.
She noted that women, with the right education will obligate society to accept that men and women are born equal and that women are not of less value to men, neither are they sex objects or a property belonging to men.
The Resource Officer took the audience through the background of some black American women who have impacted positively on the lives of people globally – these included America’s first lady Michelle Obama, whom she stressed, is widely known for having a strong personality, a personality so strong that it propels people to follow closely her every activity to the extent that even her manner of dressing is so much talked about.
Ms Brown also talked about Tennis champion Venus Williams who for years lobbied for equal pay for women in sports, especially at tennis premiere tournaments.
These people, she emphasised, have done a lot to cause a change in their society and therefore encouraged women to emulate their examples.
Story by Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline.com/Ghana
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