Unbelievable Flaws Of Modern Feminism - Part 2

No-matter how hard masculists or anti-feminists may argue, there surely is a societal stigma associated with womanhood that must be gotten rid of. The value, position and competence of women have been kept at the backburner for far too long.

Feminism came in its full force to create a balance between the two genders. As feminists always say, the movement is not a war against manhood but a wakeup call for all of society to weigh both genders on an equal scale. This advocacy is highly laudable.

Current waves of feminism have, however, appeared to be probing a little too deep in some areas. This series is examines some of these areas feminism might have headed too far in, and where the journey should actually be heading. In PART 1, we addressed the questions, "are there truly any differences between men and women?" and "how does that affect what we do?"

Let's delve into the PART 2!

FEMINISTS: MEN AND WOMEN MUST PLAY THE SAME ROLES

In previous generations, industry work was very manual. You needed to have strong muscles to do almost anything. With the advent of I.T., stupendous technology, and escalated knowledge, anything men can do can also be done by women. Men and women can play the same roles in the industries and families. They both must be exposed to the same opportunities.

REALITY: EVEN WITH THE SAME TRAINING, THE ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN NEED TO DIFFER

The Part Modern Feminists Got Right

If you had to grow up in a place where your geographical location, race or gender automatically shields you from certain opportunities, protesting would be inevitable. From childhood, males and females must be allowed to explore opportunities without any restrictions based on gender.

We are all better for it as humans, if women are not restricted to the kitchen or house chores, but allowed equal opportunity in all fields like men have. Mother Theresa, Florence Nightingale, Kathryn Kullman and many others are shining examples of this truth.

Secondly, a woman must not have to hide behind another person's dreams, keep his home, cook for him, and endure all his "nonsense" just by virtue of being a woman. There must be a playing field for women too in the labour market.

The Part That Needs Modification

This is a good fight, but we cannot sweep the morphological differences between males and females under the carpet when assigning duties. (Please refer to PART 1 of this series for more on the "differences"). In manufacturing industries (which is the heart of industrialization) and our family settings, the variances that exist between men and women would keep coming back to us.

In The Industry
From personal experience, a major part of the day-to-day running of engineering processes, and some other industrial practices have got to do with traversing scary heights, enduring trying ambient conditions, carrying heavy objects, and more strenuous activities.

Despite the fact that men and women may possess the same knowledge from school and other forms of training, their roles are somewhat unique in the industry. Women, with the same qualifications, have to-very often- be assigned the parts of the process that are more office-based than field-based. Even in cases where women get on the fields, they-on many occasions-must have to stand aside for the men to handle certain tasks.

It would be shear cruelty to subject both a man and a woman to the same strenuous industrial working conditions that still exist in many parts of the world including Africa. And that is not downplaying on the feminine, but the appropriate thing to do, since the man is more naturally adapted for tedious field work. Even in very advanced automated industries, similar gender-based assignment of roles have had to exist to give both men and women a comfortable workspace in the industry.

In Family Settings
No institution or entity can function properly if all the members play the same roles. Imagine a football team with all 11-players being strikers. What about an enterprise in which every employee is an accountant? See?

Today, many families are crumbling because both parents are busily chasing careers, and other issues pertaining to the family are left unattended to. To raise a family successfully, it is important that everyone plays in a slightly different position, as this is the only way we can all reach our common "goals" and win.

How Duties Are Determined

Different roles must be played, and who plays which role depends on the unique ability of each person. For instance, the deep broken voice of a man, the thin alternative of a woman, the physical strength of a man, his stature, and beard are all qualities that determine who should respond if there is a bang on the door at midnight.

It determines who should hold the heavier side of the wardrobe when carrying it. If on occasion, there is only one seat available, the person with more physical endurance should be logical enough to offer the seat to other. But this is on the light side.

On a deeper level, if for the common good of the family, it becomes necessary for one parent to have to stay home more because of the kids, or take a more demanding job to generate more income; physical endurance, strength, tenderness, and others would still be part of the factors to consider in deciding who does what. But this decision must be amicably agreed on by both parents.

We cannot forcefully conclude that a man should always be making the career exploits, and so on. The woman might be better placed for that. If that is the case, when raising our kids, we should equip them, both male and female, with the skills to keep a home and be very successful career people.

However, if we genuinely find that mostly, the "home keeping" duties may have to be taken up by the woman, then it is even better if each one is raised to be an expert at the role they are more likely to play in family settings when they grow up.

Analogy with Soccer
If every player on the soccer field knows how to strike, defend and play penalties, it adds to the strength of the team. Same is true if the husband and wife can both cook, wash, change diapers, carry things around, and endure stressful works. But very appropriately, everyone needs to be motivated to become an expert in what they are more adapted to do.

Example from the Natural World

The phenomenon of sharing roles based on gender prowess is not unique to humans. Researchers have revealed that for most species of monogamous birds, for instance, the male provides food and the female is a caretaker. Yet, both ensure the survival of the offspring. The female normally cares for her young by covering them to keep them warm, shielding them from the sun or rain and guarding them from predation. The male in turn, also feeds the female, who sometimes regurgitates the food to feed the chicks.

Conclusion
In spite of the seemingly "obvious" duties, each gender should be playing, gender roles cannot be forced on people. One great characteristic of humans is our free will and anyone who threatens to take that from us would face our wrath. Again, the dissimilarities between men and women surely speaks up in the conference of what roles each needs to play. To resolve these, families and institutions must dialogue and decide on how each gender with their own peculiarities should uniquely contribute to the common goals, but still be able pursue their individual dreams and ambitions.

This has been the second part of a series dedicated to tightening some loose ends that exist in the advocacy of modern feminists. In it, we are addressing the hard questions. Are males and females truly the same? Should there be different roles for the different genders? Are men default leaders or not? Is it appropriate for women and men to have separate roles in family settings? How would an ideal family setting be like without "slavery"? How come women are often the ones accused when they are seen in sexual escapades with men? What should be the way forward to this raging feminist movement?

Don't miss any part of this series. See you in PART 3!

The author of this piece is Ebenezer Agbey Quist, an inspirational writer, author of a book on tertiary life titled "Reformed or Deformed?" Chief Operations Officer at Eqay Inspire, and the main administrator of a Facebook Group, "What Life Just Taught Me". Whatsapp him on +233501360650 or email at [email protected] .