At home,
Her brother washed the cars, and did the weeding.
He was in charge of the hard work and heavy lifting.
The girls in the house were relegated to the background,
They did the washing, cleaning, and cooking.
Mama said that was how it should be.
Papa had a high-ranking job in the big company,
He made a lot of money,
Paid the bills, paid their fees, fed and clothed them.
Mama only had the little kiosk down the road,
She made enough money to cover some petty purchases,
And school-lunch money for the children.
She was indirectly taught,
That a man, and only a man,
Should be the head, and major breadwinner,
While a woman simply provided support.
Then,
In school,
Only a boy could be the Head Prefect.
Only a boy could be the Labor Prefect.
Only a boy could be the Class Captain.
Girls were relegated, yet again, to the background,
With posts of Dining Prefect, and Assistant Class Captain.
She was indirectly taught,
That only a boy was strong enough
To lead, and do the tough work.
Now,
At work,
‘Oga’ is hesitant to give her the promotion,
A promotion she is over-qualified for,
Only because is a woman.
She has been told
That a woman cannot lord over so many men.
She hates this,
She hates everything.
She always has, always will.
Is she any less of a person because she is a woman?
This is how it always has been.
She can hear Mama’s voice in her head now,
The voice that kept telling her pursuing a Master’s Degree
Would only be a waste of time.
What did she hope to change?, she wondered.
It has always been a man’s world.
Always has, always will be.
She let out a sigh of resignation,
And threw her promotion application letter in the bin.
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