Why, for instance, one would ask, that there are fewer female professors than their male counterparts? Why is it easier to expect females to go into the "flowery" disciplines such as arts as opposed to sciences or engineering? Undoubtedly, though, females over the last 100 years have been trying to equalise the perceived imbalance between the two sexes. It has been argued, for instance, that society owes a lot to its unsung heroes-mothers who stayed at home, or worked in the cane fields or the markets to provide for the strong upbringing of their children. These women who cooked, washed and ironed, who slaved over coal pots, who drew water from the wells, who were multi-tasked and who did it all as a labour of love or duty, promoted a society that was strong and daughters who would go on to become teachers, doctors and lawyers among other professions. In many countries, today, too, the perceived imbalance between the two sexes has been recognised and a number of remedial measures have been introduced in the Constitution of the country, in the laws of the country and more recently in the Acts Governing the Equal Opportunity Commission. Women have certainly come a long way. For instance, in many countries, including our country, women have assumed the role of political leader.
What is sad, though, is even on assuming the highest political office of the land, many suggest that the leader is often spared hard political knocks because of the very fact that they are female. To a large extent, sentiments such as these suggest that the "glass ceiling" is still a formidable barrier. One hundred years of struggle, however, is a long time and it is time to celebrate...irrespective of the sentiments expressed.
