Traditions that impede the well-being of women and girls in my locality.

Growing up as a child, I have asked my mother a couple of times why she didn't go to school, and the answer I got was unreasonable; such must have been the case for several girls and women out there. Even though my mom's case was a matter that happened several years ago, that tradition still holds to date in some localities here and most women and girls are denied the right/privilege of education.

Women have lost the right to a lot of things due to gender, which I deemed totally unfair. We all know the value and importance of education to everyone. A lot of privileges come with being educated. It gives women a voice in society rather than being subjected to as inferior beings; they can stand up for themselves having been equipped with the necessary knowledge.

What could have been the reason for denying women education?

My grandparents felt that a woman's education ends in the kitchen. All the knowledge gained will be wasted soon as she gets married and becomes a housewife. The only duty assigned to women was homemaking and raising kids. No privilege of following a career or dream was allowed.
The men were the head of the house, and as the dominant sole provider, they are provided with every training and right. The boy child is allowed to go to school, learn skills, or follow whatever career he desires.

My mom was permitted to learn only petty trading at the time. She was pulled out of school as a teenager and married off to my dad.
One other thing that still gets me mad is that even the money she made from trading was used to raise the boys in school; such was the case in so many homes. Imagine if he had gone to school and learned business management or economics. With her level of experience in business, it would have been possible to pick up a career from there.

This tradition is yet to be dealt with even till now. A lot of homes in the villagers and town surrounding me push more to raise the boy child properly compared to the girls.
The number of boys in school is much more than the girls in this community. I can count some Hausa girls here who cannot spell their names even at this age.

One thing I have been actively doing is encouraging the girls to learn a skill even if they were not educated. It is the least they can help themselves with. One way or the other, I have equally assisted a few with how to setup their shops and run the business of fashion properly. Even after learning a skill, we sometimes need a touch of education knowledge to be able to standout in a competitive business atmosphere.

The way out/forward of this is more and more enlightenment for the local community. A lot of parents who go outside of this place and see how educated women are making exploits in different sectors of the economy and world at large often come back home to encourage our local parents to empower young women and girls.
I hope that in the nearest feature our local parents will see the need to educate a girl child.

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