The day after Women’s Day we get back to work and resume our
daily routines. In some cases, the festivities of the day before are forgotten
and buried deep, waiting for the 365-day cycle to conclude and then we recover
them. Key observations I made while I attended Church on 8th March.[1]
While in church, the preacher on the day referred to the day
as one “for commemorating mothers”. We already have a day for celebrating the
role of women as mothers. And in line with that Valentine’s day should cover
the celebration of women in their role as wives or girlfriends. Slay queens
have their birthdays so a special holiday is a huge waste of tax payer oxygen. Back
to the preacher, this got me thinking, how we lose track of the essence of
women’s day; it is about recognizing the professional achievements of women.
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| Adele Aredo and Lady Rugby Cranes player, Emily Lekuru |
Why? Well, for centuries, the roles of mother and wife women
have played greatly and the technology advancements at the time dictated that
it would prove difficult to have a career. When contraceptive methods advanced
(as well as formalized education being broadened to include women), it made it
possible for woman to pursue a career. For that reason, every once a year it is
reasonable to have a day to gauge how far women have come in terms of catching up
with their male counterparts.
It is common in LDCs, as evidenced from Sunday’s preacher, to
focus on women’s achievements in the field of motherhood and as marriage
partners. In advanced economies, however, perhaps because these economies led
the revolution in the methods that have enables women pursue careers, they do
focus on the progress of women in the professional field and the growth in the
number of opportunities available to them.
What can we learn from one rugby player
The Uganda Rugby Union is one of the sports bodies in this country in charge of men and women’s teams that are both ranked in the top 10 across the continent. Joseph Aredo has played for the men’s teams in both the XVs and 7-a-side versions of the game, and represented Kobs RFC in the Premiership since 2011. He recognized the “barriers broken by women in the sports arena” citing some of the members on the Women’s national team. Even more importantly is how he chooses to include tag rugby amongst the opportunities available to his daughter. Every Saturday morning, he takes his three-year old daughter to partake in the tag rugby drills at Legends Rugby Club. Not many parents provide tag rugby, let alone a sport, as part of the leisure activities available to girls.
Joseph Aredo is celebrating women for breaking barriers, and
providing opportunities in sports for the next generation of women! Who knew
the son of Mileke was a feminist!
Ceteris Paribus
Further Reading
Joseph Aredo’s social media page would make for a good
recommendation, but he had a stalker once on Twitter. Let’s behave while we’re
there.
[1] In
my articles when I write “attend(ed) church”, this is usually restricted to the
Roman Catholic and Church of Uganda designated places of worship. However, if I
mention “churches these days”, even an advanced diviner’s dwelling is included.
For example, I’m working on an article regarding the “Market for Demons” à la
Akerlof, and this will be clearly observed once it comes out.
