Sex, intelligence and women at work
More than ever, women are coming to the realisation that certain ideologies, myths and mindset have added to setting an agenda that limits their productivity rather than promote it.
More than ever, women are climbing out of the stereotypical pits and crawling out of dark holes to find themselves and achieve what has always been theirs.
A successful career has it’s own challenges but we are yet to have an equal playing field for men and women. One can argue the many challenges that exist- social, cultural, financial, political- however all these arguments have been made by men.
How about a woman tells the world how she feels? Shouldn’t the person wearing the shoe be better positioned to share how it feels?
The statistics for unemployment in Nigeria shows that more women are negatively impacted than men when it comes to work.
As of August 31st, 2016, according to NBS quarterly data, unemployment for women stood at 15.9% and 12% for men while under-employment for women stood at 22.9% and 16.7% for men.
I applaud women who have used their intelligence, resilience and strong will to break glass ceilings in this country. Women who have not allowed man made strongholds limit them and deter them from their true selves and purpose.
A challenge women face is the unequal criteria set for getting into and sustaining a successful career.
Sex, for as long as I can remember, has always been a part of existence with women bearing the brunt of objectification. Sex is what has been subliminally agreed to as a currency to ‘buy and sell’, with “favours” to women being the commodity.
I have had people recount their experiences to me. I have also personally experienced this malaise while working as an NYSC member in a now defunct bank that was located in Lagos.
As far back as 2002, bank marketing departments were classified as a section where female employees were given ‘targets’ to ensure that investors brought money into the bank by all means.
I didn’t work in the marketing department but that did not make me immune from the objectification. My boss at the time tried to take advantage of me.
Here I was thinking I had ‘escaped’ from the almighty Marketing Department and was safe but little did I know that the business as usual was trade in sex to secure your future.
In the end, I reported the case to Human Resource, who promised to take up the matter but later advised me to resign because the person I was accusing was in top level management and was a very powerful resource for the bank.
There was no way I could win my case. I had to leave.
My story is also that of many other brilliant women out there. Interestingly, this problem is not local.
Sexual harassment reported on Fox News recently shows the major issues women face at work globally. Fox News host, Eric Bolling, was accused of sending unsolicited explicit pictures to three female colleagues.
Needless to say, that matter was handled because the women reported and the authorities took it seriously and acted immediately.
If this were Nigeria, though, I dare say, it will not see the light of day. Nigeria rarely reports this type of un-dignifying behaviour.
Like most things that have to do with women, it gets swept under the rug.
I will like to emphasise that Intelligence, not sex, is the best tool for societal interaction between men and women.
Men who engage in this need to unlearn many things, have a mindset change and dispel the myths. When men do this, women will rise up over and beyond the limits in their careers.
If women will insist on trading with intelligence at every instance, men will align themselves accordingly.
Intelligent women are not given the equal platform to work, lead and be in decision making positions as much as men are and I dare say that most intelligent women will do a great job, if not better, should this fixation on sex be absent.
As part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-8 which is Decent Work and Economic Growth, the United Nations (UN) target for 2030 is that women are part of an inclusive economic growth that will foster benefits for all.
How will this be achieved?
Restrictions (all man made) need to become obsolete for young women trying to gain a decent employment as well as working women focused on creating a successful career. Sustainability has become a national problem and not a woman’s problem.
It is expected that the Gender and Equality Bill (GEO Bill) will change things. It has made provisions for setting a new norm regarding women leading from a career platform.
Clause 8 of the bill provides for the elimination of discrimination against women in employment, occupation and profession. It guarantees the right to work commensurate with the skill and competence, expertise and knowledge.
Should the GEO Bill be passed, it will, hopefully, greatly reduce and stop sexual harassment against women, including the mindset resulting from trading sex for intelligence
Career women can now be free to engage and explore wider opportunities without having to live in fear of confrontation from the opposite sex and truly have an equal playing field to take on leadership and decision making positions in Nigeria.
Añuli Ola-Olaniyi is a certified HR practitioner and founder of HEIR, committed to helping young women with career development. She writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
