I’m watching with excitement at the global rise of women and also with disappointment as male leaders are tearing us down. When leaders engage in this misogynistic verbiage, followers follow suit. Why do we have to keep referring to Bill Clinton’s misadventures with women when it’s his wife that’s running for President? Why are people so quick to crucify her for staying with her husband when he was publicly caught denigrating his office? Why is it our business even? Do you see Hillary as the candidate in all her accomplished and shining glory or do you see Bill Clinton’s wife who should be baking cookies and a cake?
Sadly America is quickly losing its exceptionalism in the world and the likes of Donald Trump are exacerbating the steep decline. Who is going to change the way the world looks at girls and woman? We are. We as women will need to continue to demand that we are seen and heard and not misunderstood. One woman’s actions cannot represent the lot of us. In the case of Nigeria, you can’t get away with saying “Well, we gavethem a powerful set of ministries to govern and they messed it up. Don’t expect serious responsibility again.” That’s not fair to the rest of the 3.5 billion girls and women on the planet. We don’t say “Well, Adolf Hitler was a man, Francisco Franco was a man, Sanni Abacha was a man. No more men in power again.” We have to take equality seriously because it’s a political and social imperative. Women deserve to have 50% representation in classrooms, workplace, government, and beyond. Can you hear me?
Liesl Bebb-McKay; Liesl.Bebb-Mckay@rmb.co.za
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