Times Of Swaziland: THE VALUE OF WOMEN THE VALUE OF WOMEN ================================================================================ BY Charles Samunenge on 21/03/2017 07:08:00 OVER a long period of time societies have developed and cultivated ideas about what it means to be a woman or a man, which unfortunately have devalued women. Certain cultures and traditions have actually perpetuated this. As a matter of fact the fundamental truths about the inherent design of women and men have been distorted or eroded in the minds of men and women over the centuries. Consequently men and women alike do not understand a woman’s nature, potential, role and unique contribution to society. The idea of male and female is God’s idea. He is the Creator of both men and women. Men and women were created equal in essence. The difference between men and women is found in the make-up of their bodies and the quality of their soul dimension. Men and women may function differently, yet they are equal in essence and in God’s eyes. Women are powerful influencers and nurturers. Their potential in today’s world is being misunderstood, under used and abused because of the ignorance prevalent in most men about the nature and glory of the female. The glory of the female is not really being revealed to its maximum because most of the world is kind of designed for the male. This makes most of our women struggle to rise to their full potential in society. Women are intelligent and have the potential of contributing and adding value to societal development. Women are strong and can endure many forms of oppression. In some communities women are still perceived as domestic slaves, personal properties, sub humans, objects of sexual gratification, inferior and weak. A woman is not inferior to a man, women are intelligent and powerful humans. It is a social tragedy to look down or abuse women. When we as men degrade, look down or abuse our women, we show signs of ignorance. The woman that God created is powerful, glorious and an influential being. A woman does not necessarily have to do what men do in order to be equal to men; she is already equal to him in essence. A woman must understand that God made her different for a purpose. Women are who they are because God had a purpose for the female human. Women are unique in their creative purpose and their fulfillment and effectiveness in society is found in them embracing their uniqueness. The Biblical narrative of the creation of man tells us that a woman was taken from the side of a man (Adam). Symbolically, that means she must operate side by side with a man and not ‘under’. She is more effective on man’s side not ‘under him’. Men must stop oppressing and intimidating their wives. We must free their potential. Women are good managers and administrators. Given the opportunity they can also make good leaders, as much as they are good followers. One of the great qualities that we must appreciate in women is the ability to nurture. Women are great nurturers. A nurturer is one that practices acts of nourishing, nursing, tender care, education and training. Many of us are now accepted members of society because of the education and training of a mother. The essence of a woman is motherhood. Mothers help us grow and develop into responsible citizens. I have watched single mothers sacrificially raise their children while fathers were busy with pleasures of life – entertainment, alcohol, etc. Many of us owe our success in life to a mother who gave up her own dreams just to make sure that we had food on the table and went to school. It is therefore appropriate to appreciate our mothers and all women in general for the value they add to society. Appreciation has the power to inspire and bring out the best in people. We must treat our women with worth and integrity, it builds the required confidence in them. Women, we thank you and appreciate you for the value you add to families, societies and the nation as a whole. I believe one of the good ways to appreciate women is to help them accomplish their God given purposes, tasks or functions in society without any form of discrimination. Women must be empowered economically, socially and politically to take up important roles in society. When we stop oppressing, abusing and looking down on women, we will begin to benefit from the great potentials, gifts and talents that God has endowed females with. As men, let us appreciate all the women in our lives. A real man respects a woman by not verbally or physically attacking her. To all the women, you are not second class humans, you are made in God’s image and you can achieve that which you were created to fulfill in life. Do not allow opinions of others or negative experiences of life to imprison your potential. To be a woman is an honor and a gift from God. Be the woman you were created to be.