By Chinenye Ozor

NSUKKA—The 21st Century Women Across the Globe, have been advised not to allow the socio-cultural and economic challenges pull them down but to face the future with every amount of determination and vigour as women are not second class citizens in the world.

Mrs Uzoechi Ijeoma, a civil society activist with Women Aids Council of Lawyers, WACOL, gave the hint in a paper she delivered on women empowerment seminar organised by female post graduate students of Peter Odili hall, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, explaining that the 21st century women believe that they are not less important than the men species by verbal and non-verbal communications but in being self reliant in various fields of endeavor.

She blamed men for the present economic recession being witnessed in Nigeria and some countries of the world, noting that the hope of 21st century women would be determined by how willing both men and women were able to work together to influence the direction of development in a country, how well would both sex use the natural abilities to turn the tide against terrorism, hunger, insecurity, unemployment, inflation and conflict.

In another presentation at the seminar, Prof Mrs Onyegegbu Nkadi in her speech noted that the 21st century women should understand their body chemistry despite culture, tribe and language, adding that the personal skills of women should include basic woman values, self esteem, goal setting, decision making, communication, assertiveness and negotiation.

Prof Nkadi explained that the basic woman values is to promte positive relationship among people, guide human behavion, give purpose and direction to lives to enhance good behavior, attitude and feelings, pointing out that both men and women have the same right in any society and as such share the same social justice.

She noted that the challenges of women were the inability to identify persnal skills which would them help to improve in various fields of endavour as well as the family, adding that some women lack focus and direction and others blindly follow from the little value acquired from such people while the educated ones faeced greater challenges of old values and emerging new complex ones However, she said that young women who uphold values they believe in succeed in improving self esteem which results in self fullilment and contentment.

‘’when a young women values are not upheld they feel guilty, disappointed and in conflict with themsleves. This results in lack of satisfaction and feeling of inferriority”

Earlier in an opening remark , the deputy hall governor of Odili PG hostel who was the facilitator of seminar Henrietta Okafor said that the 21st century woman should not be the same as house wives of the past as both husband and wife should contribute meaningfully to the socio- economic upliftment of the family.

Okafor pointed out that the 21st century woman should not relegate herself to the background and allow only the husband to be the breadwinner of the family. adding that the seminar was a wake up call to all women to balance responsibility of being a house wife as well as responsibility of a career woman so that non of the issues would be deficient.