International Women's Day: Break the Bias against Women and Girls Including PWDs

Oluwakemi Adeyemi

International Women's Day is always an opportunity for me to recognise the immense contributions of the numerous women I am privileged to call mother, aunties, sisters, colleagues, classmates, cousins, bosses, juniors, etc and to listen carefully to their concerns with a view to understanding.

As we join hands today and going forward to breaking the bias against women including persons (women) with disabilities (PWDs), I thank women including women with disabilities for their immense contributions to making the world a better place despite the spoken and unspoken bias against them.

I am hopeful that shortly this bias will stop and we can have the benefit of enjoying greater contributions from women including women with disabilities.

I join SHADE-IN's campaign to state: "Break the Bias against Women and Girls Including PWDs."

#IWD #SHADE_IN #PWD #BreakTheBias #genderequaility

Oluwakemi Adeyemi

Volunteer

Saving Hand Development Initiative (SHADE-IN)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwakemi-adeyemi-24889aa9

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Last year, I spoke in an International Women's Day virtual event on "Gender Inequality in Marriage." 

I have and will continue to advocate for gender equality especially as regards women and girls.

The theme for this year's "International Women's Day is Gender Equality Today for Sustainable Tomorrow."

The campaign theme is: "Breaking the Bias."

It is sad to know that in a month like this meant to celebrate women, the National Assembly would reject gender bills that seek to promote equity for women.

All over the world, there has been this bias against women and girls in different sectors such as agriculture, education, health, career, governance and leadership, etc.

The United Nations Women has published some statistics regarding the bias against women. They are:

On leadership,

"A large gender gap remains in women's access to decision-making and leadership.

On agriculture, poverty and hunger (economic empowerment)

Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty: it is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls. (Source: WFP Gender Policy and Strategy.)

On average, women make up about 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Evidence indicates that if these women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20 to 30 percent, raising total agricultural output in these countries by 2.5 to 4 percent. This would reduce the number of hungry people in the world by around 12 to 17 percent.

Less than 20 percent of the world's landholders are women. Women represent fewer than 5 percent of all agricultural landholders in North Africa and West Asia, while in sub-Saharan Africa they make up an average of 15 percent.

On education,

Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate people.

Data from 68 countries indicates that a woman's education is a key factor in determining a child's survival.

On employment, 

"Men's average wages are higher than women's in both rural and urban areas. Rural women typically work longer hours than men, due to additional reproductive, domestic and care responsibilities.'

On environmental sustainability, 

"Evidence from 25 developed and developing countries indicates that countries with higher female parliamentary representation are more likely to set aside protected land areas."

And the list goes on.

We speak against all forms of bias against women. 

Saving Hand Development Initiative (SHADE-IN) is a member LAPO-PAWED (Lift Above Poverty Organisation - Partnership for Advancing Women Economic Development) Advocacy Coalition, advocating for Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) in Edo State.

Men who believe in women should add their voices to speak against stereotypes and biases against women including women with disabilities.

Kemi Adeyemi has already added his voice in the message above.

Happy International Women's Day to every girl, woman including women and girls with disabilities.

Bliss Ojeruse,

Executive Director (Programmes)

Saving Hand Development Initiative

(SHADE-IN)

Data source: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures