Viola Mboneko Rusoke
The year is 2026, and we are still celebrating and empowering women, and women are winning. Today, there are 10 female heads of state, and the number of female ministers and members of parliament has doubled.
Affirmative action that supports women has been impressive. We are finally no longer playing catch-up. We now have the seats at the table we once prayed for. But how are the men doing?
One might ask, “Where were they when we suffered?” They did not care then, so perhaps they should fend for themselves now, right?
Yet the truth is that we must move forward together. According to the Harvard Business Review, teams with an equal number of women and men tend to bring a wider diversity of knowledge and skills, which often leads to better results.
There is currently a strong global focus on achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which is primarily dedicated to empowering all women and girls.
Other SDGs, such as Goals 1, 3, 4, 8, and 10, also include targets aimed at addressing gender disparities. Although no SDG explicitly focuses only on men, Goals 5, 8, and 10 seek to transform patriarchal structures.
Achieving these changes requires collaboration with men to create equitable and sustainable development for everyone. This means we cannot pursue these goals in isolation from men.
As women, we cannot achieve lasting progress without the buy-in of our counterparts.
In fact, every Women’s Day celebration could benefit from having a male panelist to offer perspectives on how we can win together.
I know many of us carry bitterness. The internet is full of memes warning us about the “Sons of Adam.” If the media has portrayed them as our enemies over the years, perhaps it would be wise to keep our enemies closer.
Personally, I have benefited from walking alongside male mentors and sons in my life. I have learned to work with people whose views I do not always agree with and to see the bigger picture.
The Global Matriarch: Why a Woman’s Ambition is the World’s Most Undervalued AssetIt is often more important to focus on what someone brings to the table rather than the sentiments we may hold about them.
This can be challenging for women. Sometimes we fail to see the bigger picture. Worse still, when a woman gains a position of power, she may be tempted to dominate and repay those who once wronged her, instead of burying the hatchet and focusing on what truly matters.
I have also had the privilege of raising a young man who is now turning 12. From him, I have learned the power of audacity and dreaming boldly.
In 2024, he wrote down his goals, and on that list was visiting the US. At the time, he did not even have a passport. He had no job or business; only audacity and faith.
And lo and behold, he eventually traveled; not to America yet, but to another first-world destination, and managed to take all of us along on our modest budget.
From my male friends, I have learned about forgiveness and loyalty. Men rarely give each other the silent treatment. They tend to address issues directly, shake hands, hug, and move on.
I once saw a joke online suggesting that if the conflict between Iran and the US were led by women, they might simply block each other and refuse to talk again. Is that a better leadership approach? I will leave that question to the reader.
What I have observed is that men often confront issues head-on. They fight or talk things through, but the elephant in the room is addressed and eventually buried. The victor respects the loser, and the matter ends there.
That said, during this Women’s Month, as we give to gain, may we also study our male counterparts and learn lessons that can help us become the best versions of ourselves.
