We are WOMEN, and we can make our own DECISIONS.

This article is part of the #ChooseToChallenge campaign by Hashnode.

My first role model is my mother and this is because, at a time when it was even more difficult for women to go to school and pursue their careers, my mother chose to go to school and start building a career for herself before even getting married and having kids. This decision came with a lot of challenges not to talk of the many people and obstacles that tried to deter her from achieving this dream but she chose to fight through it all. Back in her days, women who dared to take on this path were tagged as Career women who couldn’t keep their homes simply because they were on the same level and some even higher than their husbands career-wise and as such, their husbands felt intimidated leading to many broken homes we have today, which is so unfair on both the women and children of such homes and all because a woman chose to make a name for herself and build something out of herself.

While growing up, I remember a lot of people around me and even family members telling me

“as a woman, I have to be fully submissive to my husband, therefore, having any career path is dependent on my husband’s choice”

which meant that if my husband wanted me to be a full housewife then so be it regardless of my level of education or what I wanted for myself as an individual but I chose not to accept this.

It’s our life for crying out loud, women should be able to decide how they want to live their lives, be it building a career in any field or being a full-time wife and mother to their kids, this should entirely be their decision to make and not someone else's. I don’t see anyone telling a man what career he can or cannot pursue so why should it be different for us women.

When I was at the university, I met a lot of women who just wanted to live their lives to the fullest within those 4 years simply because that was the most freedom that they believed they could ever get before being pushed to marry men they knew nothing of without any choice given to them.

Over the years, so many young girls dreams have been crushed and the light within them quenched while more money is pumped into boys, some of which are not even interested in pursuing such careers but have earned the right to, simply because they are Male and we are Female. Today I #ChooseToChallenge this.

Within my community and all over the world where women are seen as not capable of making their own decisions or having dreams of their own, I #ChooseToChallenge:

• Women not having the right to make decisions concerning their own lives and career paths.
• Broken homes as a result of women who have chosen to pursue career paths and build a name for themselves.
• Killing the dreams of young women before even getting the chance to flourish simply because they are female.
• Forcing women into arranged marriages with no choice of their own.

Change starts with every individual and collectively, we can work towards creating an inclusive world and a safe space where women are free to pave their own paths.