Our Concept of women in society needs to change

Feb 01, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I would like to draw attention to the perception and treatment of women in our society.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel with a female bus driver for the first time, and I felt compelled to commend her for her skill.

With the number of vehicles in our country, I am gravely concerned for female drivers on our roadways. Driving comes with unique challenges, particularly due to the reckless behaviour of certain motorists.

To my surprise, a male passenger, who was considerably older than I am, questioned my need to praise the female driver, stating, “She is just doing a basic job.”

At that moment, I engaged the male passenger and asked him to explain why he categorized her job as basic. His jarring response was, “What you’re saying isn’t a big deal; she is just a woman.”

I realized that this individual clearly does not value the roles women play in our society, which regrettably suffers from misogyny and similar biases. Despite my efforts to help him appreciate the honour associated with this woman’s role, it was ultimately an exercise in futility.

It is evident that both locally and in other parts of the world, particularly in certain Middle Eastern countries and regions of Asia such as India and Pakistan, women’s roles in society have been consistently disregarded and devalued. There is a pervasive belief that women shouldn’t pursue various male-dominated professions, and this mindset needs to be challenged.

In contemporary times, some men staunchly believe that women should be confined to the role of “caretakers of the home”.  While this may work for some families, particularly in affluent cultures where the man is the primary breadwinner, I believe women should be financially empowered and liberated. This empowerment will enable them to be seen as assets to the development of the home rather than liabilities.

While there are instances of women excelling in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, which are often considered male-dominated, I would like to see more women enter these fields to strike a better balance in the gender equality ratio. The notion that women shouldn’t become engineers, mechanics, bus drivers, or pilots must be dispelled, as times are changing, and our perceptions need to reflect this reality.

Let us consider why the United States of America, the land of the free, has never had a female president, only consecutive female vice presidents. Does this imply that the country believes women are not capable of holding the leadership role of president?

On November 9, 2016, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost to Republican Donald Trump, who was re-elected in 2024 and took the oath of office on January 20, 2025. Former Vice President and Attorney General of the California Department of Justice, Kamala Harris, vied for the presidential leadership against Trump last year. While many believed she might be the first African American to lead the country, this unfortunately did not materialize.

Many political scholars might conclude that the Democratic Party’s policies contributed to their failure in the elections, highlighting inconsistencies in key issues such as border regulations and the proliferation of illegal immigration in the country.

In the electoral college, Trump secured 312 votes while Harris received 226. According to a database from the latest exit polls, 42% of the male population voted for Harris, while 55% voted for Trump.

Notably 53 % of the female population voted for Harris while 45% voted for Trump.

While this is just an 8% gap, evidently must continue to challenge these perceptions and advocate for the empowerment of women in all areas of society especially in the arena of politics.

In the case of Guyana the late Janet Rosenberg Jagan, O.E. briefly served as the first female president of the republic country from December 19, 1997, to August 11, 1999, under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).

While I won’t delve into the reasons for Jagan’s brief term in office, it’s important to note that since then, Guyana has not had any other female President or Prime Minister.

What does this indicate? While legal philomaths may argue that significant amendments to Guyana’s Westminster Constitution are necessary to allow for such provisions, there is still much work to be done in terms of inculcating in the psyche of males that women too can lead.

It will be remiss not to acknowledge University of Guyana’s Students Society’s current President Madam Tirishata Semple for her exemplary work. We all must throw our support behind her, especially our male counterparts, for the university to continue along a trajectory of success and prosperity.

Roman Philosopher Seneca believed that we must support each other “because we are all connected and have a social duty to help others”.

It is time for us to support more women in leadership and encourage them to pursue male-dominant careers, instead of being intimidated by their capabilities.

Why feel intimidated when you can do better and encourage other women to succeed as well?

Regards.

Antonio Dey

Final Year Student

University of Guyana

(Our Concept of women in society needs to change)

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• and Mathematics, engineering, Middle Eastern countries, motorists, Science, society, technology, Women

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