He-for-she: A natural role for men

Mar 07, 2018

Women need to dream big, forge a path through the obstacles and achieve their full potential

WOMEN

By Harriet Kamashanyu Tumusiime

March 8 is a day set apart to recognise and celebrate "Women" as set by the United Nations Assembly - of which Uganda is signatory.

As we celebrate, I want to pose more than a day's learning, but a lifestyle, character and culture that we ought to honour - the he-for-she culture. On September 20, 2014, at the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson committed to gender equality under the campaign he-for-she.

Research has it clearly that there are high rates of progress of women all over the world whenever they are fully supported by their male counterparts. This goes all the way right from career advancement, work force, family building, business operations… etc. I understand what it means not only to have a husband, but a real partner, who is willing to stand in the gap to enable you hit deadlines, attend workshops/conferences without being stuck in a guilty trap of "family issues". This for me is the true meaning of "he-for-she" disrupting the status quo.

In Ugandan culture, it is more ideal for a woman to stay home and handle family issues while a man ceases all the travel opportunities, promotions at work and career advancements. I think there is a strong need to strike a justified balance when such factors come into play. In the last 30 years, women have made more progress in the workforce than in the home. As women strive to succeed more at work, men too should strive to succeed more at home for "It is not about biology, but about consciousness" as observed by Gloria Steinem.

Sheryl Sandberg in her book Lean In - Women, Work and the Will to Lead, she clearly demonstrates the irony of expecting support from our male counterparts and how much women are struggling in striking a balance between workforce, family and leadership. Although she is an American, I find the same scenerios and challenges faced by women all over the world.

Of the 28 women who have served as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, twenty-six were married, one was divorced and only one had never got married. Many CEOs said they "Could not have succeeded without the support of their husbands showing a willingness to move."

On February 18, 2018, New Vision ran a story of Masaka MP Mary Babirye Kabanda, who is changing the face of education, re-creations and doing farming on her 50 acres piece of land. She confessed that, "she would not have achieved all this if she did not have a supportive husband" - Kabanda. The legacy of my mentor, pastor and mother the Late Helen Wamala -Founder of Christian Women Concern, can only be traced in her late husband Rev. Atwooki.

This revolution will happen one family at a time - where fathers set an extraordinary example. I want to hear my Son - Benjamin tell me he wants to take care of his family and children like "Daddy does". More boys need that role model to make the choice.

The sooner we break the cycle, the faster we will reach greater equality. Women need to dream big, forge a path through the obstacles and achieve their full potential. I am hoping each man will do his part to support a woman in the workplace, home and church with gusto.

As we start this campaign, our homes will be happier, and the children growing up in those homes will no longer be held back by narrow stereoptypes. In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.

The writer is the founder and executive director of Rhythm of Life - Uganda

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