Achieving Solidarity Among The Womenfolk

Achieving Solidarity Among The Womenfolk

By Nike Oluwole

Women are generally known to be hostile towards one another. For some strange reason, women in positions of authority are not usually favourably disposed to helping their fellow women. When a lady enters an office in search of a job or any similar assistance, her prospects are brighter if the privileged occupant of that office is a man than if she is a woman. One would expect some sort of esprit de corps between two women, but no, the average privileged woman does not have any solidarity feeling towards her fellow woman. Rather, she is either indifferent to her plight or even hostile to her.

Many women are suffering today for lack of helpers, and the men (most of them) who are in the position to offer assistance would not do it without first having carnal knowledge of the women. So, what are we women doing to help ourselves? Highly placed women must have bias for helping their fellow women, for, by doing so, they will not only be assisting the less-privileged, but also helping to preserve the dignity of women, and saving them from being sexually harassed or intimidated.

Young unemployed ladies require assistance to avoid the temptation of going into prostitution or dating several men to make ends meet. So also are unemployed women who have children to cater for, especially those whose husbands are financially handicapped. They need to be empowered economically by way of employments, loans or grants to set up small and medium-scale businesses to enable them meet their needs and those of their families. Privileged women in the society are the ones who should have greater sympathy for the plight of their fellow women than the men. They should champion the cause of their fellow women in order to raise their standard of living. How can we succeed in fighting for our collective rights as women when we hate ourselves with so much passion?

The womenfolk must have a change of attitude towards one another and close ranks for our common good. We must love our fellow women and see how we can lend a helping hand to those in need among us. We are the mothers of the nation and if we cannot love one another, what love do we have to give to the nation? Charity begins at home, they say. We must, therefore, show love to our immediate constituency which is the womenfolk first before we can love our nation enough to contribute meaningfully to its development.

We should not just be condemning the girls who are into prostitution or women living adulterous lives and bringing shame to womanhood. The issues that led them into such degrading acts must also be addressed and our privileged women must be in the forefront of fighting this cause. They must see how they can help their less-privileged fellows, like setting up Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that will empower women economically, or giving employments to women to pull them out of acts that are debasing womanhood. If they fail to take up this challenge, the disadvantaged women will so drag the dignity of women in the mud that even they, as well-to-do as they are, will be ashamed to be women. Every woman should be seen as an ambassador of the womenfolk so that the plight of one is perceived as the predicament of all.