I have discussed here before how women are sometimes their own worst enemies. Experience in the newsroom, for instance, has shown that female sources are the hardest to deal with. They have myriad excuses each time they are approached to comment on a story or asked to be featured in various media spaces. The confidence they exude in other forums suddenly disappears when it comes to giving interviews. Apart from the lack of confidence, many are just rude and believe journalists should beg them for their attention. Wrong.
These are people with loudest mouths when ignored. When journalists decide to deal with men, there are workshops and conferences held ‘sensitising’ them on giving equal spaces or more to women. But the reality is a self-inflicted abandonment through untamed attitudes.
Women’s attitudes are not limited to the source base. If they are not pulling themselves down, they target others, opting to deal with the opposite sex. Take for another example, a male nurse in a maternity ward. A woman in need of help finds it easier to approach the male nurse than a fellow woman. Many women are temperamental and disrespectful. I have experienced this, to the extent of being asked to pick a sweet wrapper off the floor hours after a Caesarian Section. My guardian stepped out for a bit and the nurse on call picked the opportunity. This was at a private hospital.
Even in the workplace, employees prefer to deal with men than women because of their stuck-up attitudes. Service provided by men is usually better.
Promoting and empowering women should begin with women advocating for one another. This is important because sometimes we destroy ourselves by our attitudes. Some women simply dislike fellow women and decide to deal with men.
But in all this, the woman is the loser. The chain reaction starts somewhere and if only we broke the cycle, it can be a win-win situation.
There is no woman without women. There is also no woman without herself. We refuse to promote a woman without substance, including attitudes. Women by their nature love attention and pampering. But in the public arena, that stops and you become a servant. If you bring superiority complexes to the ballot box, business or any decision making arenas, you are committing suicide. One way or the other, failure is bound to catch up with you. Let humility, servanthood and passion drive women’s agendas. Confidence needs not be insulting.
