Mary Njoku Calls Out Double Standard In How Society Judges Men And Women

Nollywood actress and producer Mary Remmy Njoku has spoken out against the double standard in how society views men and women who benefit from proximity to wealth.

In a post on her Instagram page, she pointed out the stark difference in how the same behaviour is labelled depending on gender.

The CEO of ROK studios observed that when a wealthy man returns home, he is often surrounded by male friends who enjoy his generosity without being judged. She noted how they are described as loyal brothers or part of his network.

She, however, argued that when a woman spends time around the same man, she is quickly labelled a gold digger.

According to her, everyone gravitates toward value, and the difference lies in what society chooses to call it.

She wrote:
"Emeka don blow and came back home. Now 17 grown men are constantly around him, calling themselves 'his boys.' He feeds them, clothes them, pays their bills and takes care of them. Nobody says, 'These guys are only around him because of what they can get.' Its brotherhood! Networking!! Loyalty!! But let one woman spend time around that same man, and suddenly everyone becomes an expert on her motives. 'Gold digger.' Interesting."

"If benefiting from a wealthy person's generosity makes a woman a gold digger, what exactly do we call the 17 men eating his food, wearing what he bought, enjoying his money and calling themselves his boys? The truth is, people gravitate toward value. Men do it. Women do it. Friends do it. Relatives do it. Employees do it. Everyone wants to be close to something that makes life better. The double standard isn't that people love money. It's that when men benefit from proximity to wealth, we give the behavior a respectable name. When women do the same thing, we give it a dirty one. Everyone loves gold. The difference is in what we choose to call the people standing close to it."