{"id":9512,"date":"2025-03-03T14:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T13:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/?p=9512"},"modified":"2025-03-03T15:58:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T14:58:03","slug":"9512","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/2025\/03\/9512","title":{"rendered":"If I Were a Man\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before you say, <strong>\u201c<\/strong><em>Oh, but you\u2019re not a man\u2026\u201d,<\/em> relax, we\u2019ll get there. This piece isn\u2019t about me suddenly wanting to switch genders. It\u2019s about you, as a man, and the role you play in accelerating gender equity. Because, believe it or not, this fight isn\u2019t just for women; it\u2019s for all of us.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Accelerating gender equity isn\u2019t just an aspiration, it\u2019s an urgent necessity. The world is facing a complex set of challenges, and time and time again, women, girls, and marginalised groups bear the heaviest burdens. From gender-based violence to economic exclusion, the playing field remains anything but level.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The staggering reality\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s even just look at Nigeria alone, the statistics are sobering. The rate of gender-based violence and femicide continues to paint a grim picture.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 1 in 3 Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15.<\/li>\n<li>In 2023, a popular Nigerian musician was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/documentwomen.com\/oxlade-to-pay-n5-million-in-damages-over-leaked-tape-leaks\">ordered<\/a> by the Lagos State High Court to compensate a victim\/survivor with a payment of \u20a65,000,000 for leaking a sex tape which was reportedly recorded without her consent. <em>Just wow<\/em>!<\/li>\n<li>The rape and murder case of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/joadre.com\/sexual-abuse-in-nigeria-the-uwaila-vera-omozuwa-story\/\">Uwavera Omzuwa<\/a> caused a national outcry and led to the hashtag and movement for justice for victims and survivors. Omzuwa was a 22-year-old student of the University of Benin who was attacked and raped inside a church in Ikpoba Hill, Edo state, Nigeria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 2025 alone, almost two dozen women have died due to gender-based violence across\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/nigeria\">Nigeria<\/a>. According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/femicide\">Femicide<\/a> Observatory, run by the Lagos-based nonprofit Document Our History (DOHS) Cares Foundation, there were 17 cases reported in January, a 240% increase from the same period last year, with an additional five by 16 February. More than 100 femicides were documented in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>These numbers are not just statistics. They represent real lives, real pain, and a reality that demands urgent change. Every day, women navigate a world where their safety, opportunities and even their voices are under threat.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s not make the mistake of thinking that gender equity is solely a \u201cwomen\u2019s issue.\u201d The responsibility to achieve it lies in the hands of both women and men.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to data from the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, gender equity won\u2019t be achieved until <strong>2158;<\/strong> that\u2019s five whole generations from now! <em>Let that sink in<\/em>. If we keep moving at this pace, your great-great-granddaughter will still be having this same conversation. This year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day theme is a call for urgency: we need to accelerate action.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>If I were a man, I\u2019d play my part<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>For far too long, gender equity has been framed as a \u201cwomen\u2019s issue.\u201d But the truth is, men have as much to gain from an equitable world as women do. A society that values fairness and inclusivity allows everyone, regardless of gender to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, patriarchal norms persist. These deeply ingrained beliefs privilege men at the expense of women, shaping everything from gender pay gaps to systemic violence. They also cultivate an environment where misogyny is normalised; where sexist remarks go unchallenged, and where men fail to see women in their full humanity.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>If I were a man, I would make a conscious effort to break this cycle.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I would challenge sexist comments, no matter how \u201charmless\u201d they seem.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I would call out misogyny in the workplace, in friendships, in family gatherings.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I would teach young boys that strength isn\u2019t about dominance, but about respect.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>And most importantly, I would not <strong>stay silent<\/strong><\/em>. Because looking away today only ensures that the problem persists tomorrow \u2013 for our sisters, mothers, nieces, and daughters. The more we look away, the faster these injustices reach those we care about.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>But I am NOT a man, still, I won\u2019t stay silent\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And so, I will continue to use my voice, will, and strength as a woman to push for change.<\/p>\n<p>I will speak up, take up spaces, and demand action \u2013 not just for myself, but for the generations of women to come.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gender equity isn\u2019t an abstract idea. It\u2019s a movement. It\u2019s a commitment. And it requires all of us, men and women alike to accelerate progress. And the time to act is now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#AccelerateAction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before you say, \u201cOh, but you\u2019re not a man\u2026\u201d, relax, we\u2019ll get there. This piece isn\u2019t about me suddenly wanting to switch genders. It\u2019s about you, as a man, and the role you play in accelerating gender equity. Because, believe it or not, this fight isn\u2019t just for women; it\u2019s for all of us. &nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9512"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9514,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9512\/revisions\/9514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}