Rev Njue: Calls for gender equality must include boys
Boys, like girls, have unique strengths that must be taken into account.
What you need to know:
- It’s a type of short-sightedness that tries to meet an immediate need.
- You must understand that these women’s futures may include marriage, which will need complementation over competitiveness.
- As a result, an unbalanced culture emerges, one that fosters a negative attitude toward marriage and, as a result, broken families.
There’s no reason young women shouldn’t be encouraged to follow their passions.
A girl child exudes tremendous confidence when compared to a boy child. Women appear to have displaced men in top-heavy and technically demanding occupations.
When women are given equal authority due to feminism, they experience a sense of belonging, which encourages them to contribute more to the family and society.
We must, however, acknowledge that a functional man and woman are necessary for a functioning community. We achieve far too little when we cultivate a competitive mindset. It’s a type of short-sightedness that tries to meet an immediate need. You must understand that these women’s futures may include marriage, which will need complementation over competitiveness. As a result, an unbalanced culture emerges, one that fosters a negative attitude toward marriage and, as a result, broken families.
We miss the purpose
When gender equality is demanded, we miss the purpose. Today’s message is that a girl can accomplish better than a boy. Instead of working on the inherent, God-given strengths in both, the current rhetoric sets them in competition against each other. Boys, like girls, have unique strengths that must be taken into account. This should be viewed as value addition.
When we stop praising each other’s strengths and beauty and encourage collaboration, we become a weak culture.
It is not how much better you can be than someone else that determines your success, but how well you can support one another.
Rather than comparing girls’ and boys’ achievements, I highly advise parents to recognise distinct qualities and abilities. Rather than evoking an ego-deflating attitude of rivalry, much effort should be put into cultivating talents.
When a child believes they are being judged, they lose the incentive to keep going and, in most cases, give up.
Moreover, this culture of elevating the girl puts boys in threat mode, triggering emotional survival responses such as anxiety, rage, and resentment.
It’s no surprise that there are so many men in prison nowadays. Between 2015 and 2019, Kenya had 412,195 convicted convicts, according to Julia Faria’s figures published on June 4th, 2021. There were 361,354 males and 50,841 females.
Every parent wants their boys and girls to succeed, and no one’s success should take precedence over the other. In my opinion, most parents have a natural desire to see their daughters walk down the aisle and wish for happy families.
“Who will marry our daughter, or how can we have functional families when so many men are incarcerated?”
Trample on the theories
Dear dad and mum reading this, cast down and trample on the theories that exalt one gender against the other.
We must take the initiative and set an example for the families. Let us create healthy expectations instead of choosing doubtful and unrealistic family standards dictated by the fallen world. Everything begins at home, and unless solid family values are reinforced, anarchy will reign.
Children learn positive behaviours and coping skills in a warm and stable family environment. When a family does not operate well, it has a detrimental impact on the children both now and in the future.
Things do not always appear to be better in a household.
If you are having difficulties, a credible pastor or a qualified counsellor can assist you in beginning a healthy family.
