Do you ever feel like being a woman in today’s world is similar to an extreme sport?
First, it’s the perpetual fight for spaces to be seen, heard and validated in the workplace, at home and in society.
Add to that the internal struggles from comparison and trying to match up to the smooth-skinned and slender ideals of beauty and success plastered all over our TV screens and social media timelines.
It’s quite telling that if you were to investigate girls and women from the Australias, North America or even remote villages in India and countries in Africa, you would find similar struggles to find a sense of worth from society’s exacting standards for beauty, material or career success, marriage, childbearing and more, despite differences in religion, personal experiences and upbringing.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, when you add the cacophony of voices sharing their views on the boundaries that women are expected to adhere to, the whole situation can seem rather exhausting. I suppose this is why commemorations such as International Women’s Day exist.
With every year, there’s a brave effort to address some aspect or other of women’s struggles. This year’s theme, Accelerate Action, aims to actively promote a gender-equal world free from bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
While the efforts and activism to drive changes for women over the past 100 years are commendable, why is it that the fundamental issues at the core of women’s being haven’t changed significantly and en masse?
Let’s take the concept of women’s empowerment, for instance. Over time, individuals, communities, non-profit organisations, the private and public sectors and governments have implemented diverse initiatives to elevate women and girls through health, education, economic and social interventions.
Presumably, these programs are designed to enable women to be in the driving seat where their lives are concerned, hence the reference to empowerment.
But what is empowerment? What does an empowered woman look like?
To begin with, empowerment connotes a shift in position, i.e. from a lowly to a more elevated position. We have seen and experienced the version of empowerment that comes from the external: helping women access business financing, leadership positions, equal or better pay, shattering the so-called glass ceiling, and more.
There’s nothing wrong with these kinds of interventions. However, my personal
experience points to the fact that one can have impressive career growth yet still feel empty inside. One can be given the platform to become a sought-after speaker and contributor for every other conference, yet still battle with crippling fear off the stage.
We propagate the idea of “doing it afraid” and fail to understand that fear is an anomaly, not the norm.
True empowerment for women comes from understanding one’s identity. Not identity tied to material things and positions of power, but one that stems from one’s spirituality, leading to an awareness of the reason you and I were created and brought into the world.
Living from the standpoint of your identity is where the breakthrough to put to death all the familiar inner struggles will come from. Want to be a free woman?
Then, take the time to understand who you are and what sets you apart.
Thousands of years ago, an unnamed woman encountered Jesus by a well in Samaria. Like many of us, she had made many assumptions about life, her cultural environment, purpose, failures and triumphs.
It was only after a brief interaction with Jesus Christ that she discovered her identity. I imagine that never in her wildest dreams would she have believed that her awakening was tied to the salvation of an entire city (John 4).
Who knows what is tied to your awakening and mine to our true purpose?
The views expressed in this article do not represent the position of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
