Everyone (both male and female) are in one way or another subjected (or have been subjected) under societal pressures. I’ll be talking about that of the average male child into consideration here, but this is in no way an attempt to downplay that of the girl child. Both sides have their fair share of the cake.
I believe that we humans are not built with the same parts. I like to imagine humans as chemical elements; each react differently under certain circumstances. Sodium will immediately evaporate when exposed to air but Gold (another metal) will not. This simply means that we as humans also tend to react differently when subjected to the same amount of pressure.
The average male child strives everyday so he also can one day be a “breadwinner” like his father. That is what society expects him to be. That is how it has always been and that is how it should be. It is one of the very foundation this society stands on and just as it has been passed down to us by generations long gone, we should also do well to hand down the baton to those coming behind, right? Well, not really.
He is raised with the notion that he has to be responsible for the welfare of a family he’s yet to meet and all he inadvertently does is so he can give them a better life. I wouldn’t want to call that a bad thing, but I feel placing such a burden on someone at such a young age isn’t exactly fair.
BEING A “BIG MAN”
We currently live in a society where wealth has been placed on a pedestal higher than that of honesty, humanity and all the other things that really matter.
Here in Nigeria, a male child does not only have to be a man, but he has to be a “big man”. For the sake of the uninitiated, a “big man” has nothing to do with the size of his body, but that of his pocket. It is what will determine whether or not your wife calls you “Daddy”, it determines how nice people will treat you.
But then being a big man isn’t easy at all. It requires many sleepless nights and dedication that many aren’t willing to give, and in other not to fall short of the societal standards, many have been led down the path of engaging in many derogatory acts so as just to make ends meet. Being a big man has caused many
Boys should be taught to give life their all, and make sure they succeed, but they should also be taught not to race to grow up, they should be enlightened that they do not have to conform to the sometimes-unrealistic demands society expect from them. They should realize that failure isn’t denial and it’s okay to try again. Being late is allowed, the goal is for you to get there. Boys have to be taught to know that in their quest of chasing prosperity, compromising your integrity to make ends meet isn’t the right thing to do. Perhaps if these values are instilled in young boys, they can grow up to be happy and fulfilled men.
I have used Nigeria as an example because that’s where I live but my guess is that the situation is not so different in other communities as well.
In conclusion, societal pressure isn’t 100% a bad thing, it also has its merits. But from my own standpoint, the demerits outweigh the merits and that is why we need to do better.
Thanks for stopping by. And I’d love to hear your opinions in the comment section.
