THE GENDER OF WEALTH

I observed something on the 2022 Forbes list of billionaires, there were 12 women in the top 100 richest people in the world. What I found disturbing was the fact that only two out of the twelve achieved the feat on their own, the other ten either inherited it or through a divorce settlement. 

This means that only two women held their own and made it big amongst the top 100 richest people on the planet. 

Why is that so?

And why isn't there a single African woman on the list of the Top 50 richest women in the world?

There are more women starting businesses in Africa than anywhere in the world. 41% of women are entrepreneurs in Nigeria, compared to 10% in the U.S. and 5.7% in the U.K. Women entrepreneurs outnumber their male counterparts in Africa. But African women are nonetheless some of the poorest in the world because they were raised to think that getting married and making babies meant more than creating wealth and becoming financially independent. So they seek men who seem successful enough to cater for their needs for the remainder of their lives, and proudly wear the title of a "successful man's wife".

The Nigerian Education system does not teach women one thing, and men another. The wage system, unlike in the U.S. does not pay men more and women less. 

So, why do Nigerian women still feel the need to become part of a man's financial responsibility when they too had every opportunity to succeed as the man? 

A Nigerian husband in an interview once said he earned the same salary as his wife, but if he did not foot the bills at home, his wife rarely gave a damn because "it is the man's responsibility to provide for his family". He becomes irresponsible and an object of derision if he failed to provide.

We raise our daughters to become someone else's responsibility, that despite their wit and ability, they must wait for a man to look after them like they're handicapped. That the only love language is the man's money and his ability to spend it on them every damn time. How then can such a gender find the head to think of taking its place at the table of "made men"?

This mentality has made it nearly impossible for a woman to aspire to greater heights once she gets married and starts a family. Many who aspire to, find it daunting to keep up with the pressures from all angles and would remain financially stunted or worse.

If we could teach our sons to work hard and make money before getting married, why aren't we teaching our daughters the same? 

And the attitude our daughters bring into relationships nowadays makes it difficult for serious suitors to take them seriously.  They are always broke and in need of financial assistance from a man who's trying to build himself a life for the responsibilities ahead. And the nonsense they see on social media tells them that once they start dating a man, they automatically become his daughter. They want the life of a princess while carrying the brain of a slave.

Some get married to the useless "next" and keep bombarding the generous "ex" with bills and excuses that their husbands aren't doing well. Is he your father? 😡

You'd hardly meet any craftsperson who'd tell you that our women pay more than the men for services rendered. Most women believe that bargaining power rests with their gender, not knowing they sometimes cheat these poor sellers out of their little profit because they're desperate to sell and feed their families.

Labourers and mechanics would tell you they'd rather deal with the husbands than the wives because the women are very stingy.

In conclusion, all religions believe that givers never lack. Maybe our women need to stop asking and start giving. Maybe they need to start thinking of themselves as intelligent enough to make it where other humans exploit and break barriers. Maybe it is time they changed the narrative and viewed marriage through the same prism as their male counterparts. That getting married requires more than having a vagina, a fertile womb, and a pretty face; but enough finances to run the home.

Parents on the other hand must not only encourage their daughters to think outside marriage and raising a family but instil in them the need to be financially literate and independent before sending them off into murky waters of the uncharted marital seven seas.

Without financial education, they can not be able to create wealth, and nobody ever gets rich by just receiving cash handouts to squander on enjoyment. Financial education would enable our daughters to help their husbands turn their meagre earnings into a great fortune.

Our women can "save money for Africa", but savings have never made anyone rich; investments do. We must encourage them to approach business with the mindset of a daredevil. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Not Money-doubling Schemes, please. 🙄

So in all these, I've found that wealth seems to favour men over women because of the attitude and mentality we all approach it with. As a Giver or a Beggar.

©JBZ_2022