The school commute has increased and if I’m honest, I can’t say I hate it. I have more time with the kids in the morning – when they’re at their freshest, or at least are supposed to be – and the conversations are interesting. It also gives me time, on my way back, to listen to the radio for longer.

 

Yesterday, I caught the tail-end of people calling Kaya FM to give their views on the proposed change to the titles for ‘head girl’ and ‘head boy’. I had to do an online search later and suspect this was spurred on by the Foundation for Education and Social Justice Africa’s recent campaign to abolish the concepts to accommodate all learners.

 

The opinions I heard were another indication of how we love labels and a good fight. “If I’ve been waiting my whole life to be the head girl, then I should be able to be called head girl and not school prefect” and “they’ve just gone too far now” was the general sentiment. Mainly from women who sounded like a younger generation.

 

The forgotten boardroom struggle.

 

An example in the business world that jumps to mind is that it’s now commonplace to refer to the ‘chairperson’ and not the ‘chairman’ as was customary in the ‘good ole days’ when women were not welcomed in the boardroom. There was – and still is – a fight to make that environment more inclusive. Perhaps we’ve forgotten.

 

I’m also reminded of another recent hot topic around Cambridge Dictionary updating their definition of woman (and man) to be more inclusive. The posts I came across were the “how dare they think that they can just remove us” kind. Angry. We’re that angry over a definition.  Really?

 

Here’s the actual definition of a woman from Cambridge: “An adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth”. I’m so fine with this hey. I haven’t grown any shorter nor has it given me more grey hairs and wrinkles.

 

Does a definition define you?

 

But let’s process this for a minute. You’re no longer a ‘real’ woman because a definition has been altered? Can you hear me cackle? They’re “eliminating us”. How drastic. Have we been so battered by patriarchy that we’re fighting against the inclusion of all God’s people, in this instance, who identify as women? Or men for that matter as that definition was changed similarly. I didn’t get any noise about that. As always, I’m teachable.

 

Who calls for the manageress these days? If you’re ancient, perhaps. It’s the manager. The same rule for the president, the CEO, and the owner. But we’re out here fighting for gender-based titles that are outdated and lack inclusion. At school. The place where we send our children to learn and grow. All we’re teaching them is to learn how to be narrow-minded and bigoted, where patriarchy thrives. 

 

Here for equality.

 

Dear hearts, no-one’s taking away your right to be a woman. Please don’t go down that road giving away your power. How about we stand up and support more important things like the right to equality?  Let’s raise our boys and girls, and nieces and nephews, to have respect for themselves and others and then there won’t be a need for petty rants about definitions in a dictionary or trying to foster inclusivity from a young age.

 

But if you’re all about the clicks and likes, take your spot.

 

Pic credit @robynwrites – my Rock Star’s rock art