In a world where men call most of the shots in politics, business, entertainment, etc, talking about female privileges may be surprising to most people but it needs to be talked about. Women do have certain privileges and some of them need to be checked.
Privilege means a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. For example, as woman if you choose to marry a man who makes more money than you, no one thinks you’re being exploitative. No one also looks sideways at you if you decide to be a full time wife and mom but most will turn up their noses at the term ‘house husband’ or ‘Stay-at-home’ dad. If you choose not to sacrifice everything for your career, you get a pass but the men do not. In many ways, women have a far wider range of socially acceptable life choices than men have.
This aspect of the ‘female privilege’ isn’t the one that needs to be checked as the women aren’t necessarily using their privileges wrongly according to societal standards. However, there is a negative side to that privilege that has been steadily getting out of hand.
Some weeks ago, a popular musician known as Mc Galaxy was dragged on social media for allegedly asking women to dance naked for N50,000 on his Instagram live feed. No one talked about the role the women themselves played in all this. Everyone just concluded, she is a woman and you shouldn’t have asked her to do that and the woman got a pass.
Did he force anyone to remove their clothes? In fact, to join an Instagram live feed you have to request to join and that’s entirely up to you. When some days later another fairly known actress did the same thing on the same Instagram live feed, this time without being asked, again she got a pass as many assumed she was inebriated. The man got the burnt of it mainly because he is the man. This is not to excuse his behavior but the women should have had some culpability in the issue. ‘Female privilege’ entitled the women to behave in a manner unbecoming of them knowing they would get a pass and be excused of all wrongdoing.
This same privilege or entitlement is why a woman can falsely accuse a man of rape knowing that once everyone hears ‘rape’ the man will immediately be put on blast. But when does it end? In as much as the victim should always be heard, those who use their female privilege when found out should have to bear the consequences.
In this social media age, most social issues get played out and tried on the social media world and this is where you will see most females flaunting their privilege. A woman tweeted this, “Can’t wait to get married so I can be raping my husband.” Now, while most can understand the context she meant by this tweet, if a man sent out a similar tweet he would not be treated as fairly. The social media trolls and advocates would come out simply because he’s a man. So it’s ok for a woman to joke about rape and not ok for a man?
What about violence? A man is told not to hit a woman and because of this some women will take advantage of the men. Last year, when pictures of Shad ‘Bow Wow’ Moss was released with his face all scratched up by his now ex girlfriend everyone online laughed at him for being a ‘p***y’ because the woman appeared untouched in her own pictures. If he had retaliated, he would have been branded a woman beater, but because the woman perpetuated the act, she got a pass for doing so. Is it ok that women get to be violent with men and get away with it?
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So many think female privilege is not a problem as they already see a woman as one to be pampered and taken care of.
Florence Sunny, Fashion Designer
“What is female privilege? Of course, I should have privileges, I’m a woman.”
Goerge Oyinkansola, Farmer
“I believe a woman is to be treated with the utmost care so whatever privileges she enjoys on account of that, she enjoys. I don’t believe in ‘stressing’ a woman.”
The concept of a woman getting away with certain things just because she’s female isn’t new to others but they don’t also know how that can change.
Efosa Princewill, Business Man
“Oh, when stories like that go viral you dare not say anything or you will be called a misogynist. Most times especially on social media you can’t point out that what a woman did is wrong unless you are ready for a drawn out argument and who has that time? I just close my eyes and pass and hope they learn that one day being a woman won’t save them all the time.”
Francesca David, Corper
“I know that we can sometimes do things and get away with it because ‘I’m a woman.’ I don’t agree with it because where’s the equal treatment you’re asking for then? Are they some things where being a woman should be your excuse? Yes. But when you go and accuse someone of rape because you are a woman and you want to hurt him because he hurt you, you are not doing anyone especially other women any favours.”
Could it be that the oppression of women over time is what has caused this privilege to fester?
Chioma Ikechukwu, Writer
“Because women had it tough for a long time, we have acquired a sense of entitlement. Also, in the bid to bring women up to par with men they seem to have forgotten that men are human beings as well. We need to strike a balance in this quest to bring women up to par. We are quick to see injustice for women but not men.”
The moral of the story is that no one has a lock on privilege. The two sexes have different burdens and advantages, and also different preferences. Women, however, should examine themselves to be sure their sense of entitlement hasn’t gone overboard.
