MEN VERSUS WOMEN, WHO IS SUPERIOR

BY NDUNGU GEORGE

A lot has been said about who is more superior between men and women. And it seems
none of them is about to accept that they are less superior.

Men like to brag about how they are better and superior compared to women. It’s not
strange to hear a man say “wanawake ni wajinga” a Swahili word meaning women are
stupid. I heard this statement a million times when I was young to the point of believing
it.

Saying men are superior to women is actually starting to make no sense anymore, due to
the emergence of the do it yourself women [D.I.Y]. This are strong, confident and
independent women who have proved they can do anything that a man can do and
sometimes even better, from acquiring the highest level of education to holding top jobs
in companies and even leading a country.

Year after year women keep on advancing. Whenever I am traveling these days I cant
help to notice the large number of young women driving personal cars, this wasn’t the
case years back when people would be amazed to see a woman let alone a young woman
driving a vehicle. This women though some are not married they not only own vehicles
but they also own prime property. Unlike their older counterparts who used to wait for a
man to marry them and provide for all their financial needs, the do it yourself women
have refused to follow suit.

Women now days have become versatile and believe that anything a man can do they too
can do even better. And this versatile mindset has been a major resource to women
achievements, as they are now venturing into careers that were in the past meant for men.
Male dominated careers like politics, managing big companies, sports and also jobs that
require physical strength like security guards, construction work; have become women’s
playground.

Unlike the past where majority of women had only one dream that is being a housewife
and bearing children. The 21st century woman has other dreams she is full of big dreams
and ambitions. These women are first taking time in acquiring the necessary education to
propel their careers to the top. A lot of women now days are employed or self employed.
These women have broken the stereotype held by society that a woman’s place is in the
kitchen as they are competing head to head with men.

In Kenya we have a lot of strong women who are very inspiring like former nominated
Mp Njoki Ndungu who introduced to the parliament the sex act bill. The bill aimed at
protecting our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, wives and our little angels inform of
children from sexual abuse. She faced a lot of difficulties trying to convince the male
Mps to support the bill, as they feared it would land them into trouble not knowing the
bill was also protecting men too. Some of these so called honorable members had been
involved in violence and sexual abuse charges. One Mp went too far as he tried to rape a
woman in the parliament offices. While another made the Hollywood movie Hannibal
recta a reality, the movie had a character that ate people but it Was just acting but the Mp
literally bit his wife’s back and chewed huge chunks of meat! What a shame.

Another great Kenyan woman is professor Wangari Maathai. I grew up hearing people
say “wangari ni muguruki” a Kikuyu word referring to a mad person. They didn’t
understand then why a woman according to them the weaker sex, would risk her life to
save trees from land grabbers. Years later, due to climate change effects on them, her
critics have understood why, when its too late leaving the young generation to suffer due
to their ignorance in the past. She was not just passionate about the environment, she was
also a human rights activist; though she was a marked woman by the former president
Daniel Moi government, she courageously accompanied the mother’s of political
prisoners to demand for their release The anti riot police came and gave her and the old
women a thorough beating. In 2004 she was voted the years Nobel peace laureate. For
her efforts in environmental conservation and all her critics were left embarrassed.

The other group of women who have and are continuing to defy the odds are the single
mothers though they are viewed negatively and treated badly by the society. The society
keeps on forgetting that these women don’t conceive alone but with men who decide to
run away from their responsibilities. Makes one wonder who is to be blamed, the man
who deserts his family or the woman who sticks with her children. These men only
reappear years later when they are old and need some financial assistance or a kidney!
From the now full-grown children they abandoned when they were just toddlers.
Example is the case where a man appeared 18 years later to claim that Janet Jelimo the
multimillionaire athlete is his daughter.

Though now days some women have achieved a lot of success some still lag behind.
They are still living in the caveman era where they believe they cant make it on their
own, that’s why though they are educated and have a lot of potential they still keep
waiting for some rich man to come and marry them. Forgetting that this is like gambling.
It makes one wonder why should such women full of untapped potential want to live their
lives on chance that may or may never happen. What a waste.

Though we have men who have achieved a lot other men have proved there is nothing
special or superior in being a man as was thought years back. This is because their
behaviors keep shocking any sane person, like their so-called spontaneous reaction of
burning 35 people to death in a church during the post election violence. And also the
crazy men who rape women and girls the worst form of humiliation that can happen to
both men and women. And the rapists still claim “ mimi ni ndume” yet the cowards don’t
have enough guts to ask for sex the right way. Justifies my sisters comments some men
should remove their trousers and be left with their underwear”.

My sister’s watchman likes to brag “us men we are always on top even in bed” makes
one wonder at this age of sexual liberation. I can’t stop pitting his wife for having such a
boring sex life, with a man who is tuned into just one sex style. I wouldn’t blame her if
she spent the whole night entertaining another man. This male chauvinistic watchman
doesn’t see the irony that he is actually employed by a woman yet he keeps demeaning
them.

Instead of us wasting a lot of time and energy trying so hard to prove who is superior
between men and women. Which is starting to make no sense anymore I think people
should be put into two categories the achievers and the losers. That’s the best way of
categorizing people instead of trying to put one gender on top of the other.