Barnabas and Grace Achoki
FIFA Women’s World Cup is currently going on and though not popular like men’s, it is interesting to see how women football has greatly improved.
One would be forgiven to think that they were watching a men’s game when you see the quality of the skills on display.
With Africa Cup of Nations kicking off, I know the women’s World Cup would be pushed to the back banner as many watch Africa’s best talents on display.
Back to the women’s World Cup, growing up it was impossible to think that there could be a soccer tournament of such magnitude.
Girls who played soccer were considered tomboys and would be given a tongue-lash by their mothers.
A story has it that one of the girls playing for the French national women’s team took after her mother who also played soccer at the chagrin of men. It was so bad that no one wanted to associate with her because of that.
Fast forward, and now it is becoming more and more common to see women not only play football, but venture into areas long perceived to be only for their male counterparts. I wonder if that is one of the effects of the girl-child empowerment.
This is good as for too long our female counterparts were left behind and treated not as equals. But now, slowly and slowly they have become empowered to the place they can say “What a man can do, a woman can do better.” This, however, can cause problems in relationships.
I believe as much as we are equal, a woman still needs to be treated like a lady—opening a door for her, allowing her to go first, pulling the chair for her are some of the things that make her feel special.
Guys on the other hand need to still be respected as men, speaking to them and treating them with respect, even if he might not be earning as much as you do. Let him feel needed and respected.
So, even if women are playing football just like men, let us know that God made them male and female and that’s what makes us get attracted to each other.
