Media expert Kim DelMonico lends her voice on Gender Equal Pay.

Following the Second World War, trade unions and the legislatures of industrialized countries gradually embraced the principle of equal pay for men and women. However, at the turn of the new millennium the argument still rages on. Could it be a case of deserved demand or just another opportunity to play the "female card" that tends to easily portray females as victims in male-dominated society - either way, the issue of equal pay is reopening around the world.
Already, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2017 forecasted that women around the world will not earn as much as men for the next 217 years.

Despite various developed countries emulating the Equality Act 2010, that was formulated in the United States Congress to eradicate sexual & gender imbalance manifested in workplaces in recent times, the pay gap is still evident. For clarity, Equality Act 2010 is an upgrade on the Equal Pay Act 1970, and the law on equal pay is set out in the ‘equality of terms’ provisions of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It gives a right to equal pay between women and men working in same organization, and covers individuals in the same employment conditions - and highlights equality in pay & all other contractual terms that include basic salary, bonuses and/or benefits, irrespective of full-time or part-time work duration.
Critics have argued that factors such as nature (defined roles) of job, work-related risks involved (which could be physical and/or mental), cultural attachment or predominance, duration of working hours, motherhood (that could often lead to drop in performance), revenue generation & distribution, to mention but a few, can largely negate realization of an equal pay for women and men. Questions about the needed infrastructure & economic policies to withstand whatever financial implications that would arise from such consideration, in the long term, have also been cited in the ongoing argument.

Particularly, can we have an emergence of more productive African women like, Salwa Akhannouch, Sibongile Sombo, Folorunsho Alakija, Njeri Rionge, Isabel dos-Santos, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, to mention a few, many of who not only elevated through the pay-grade ranks but also have become employers of labour. Can the present wage gap affect such full realisation?

For the records, Iceland is ranked as the best place in the world for gender equality, and in 2018 became the first country to mandate companies to paying men and women equal wages. Other developed nations like USA, Germany, France, Canada, though not achieved a near-equal gender wage package, they have sought to manage the pay gap. In reality, women in the aforementioned powerful nations still earn about 80% of the amount paid to men - that is about 20% wage difference. [data via PayScale]
Continent of Africa is even worse, clearly still largely undeveloped In-terms of financial structures, sustainable economic infrastructure, rate of employment, amongst other unresolved factors already working against achieving that near-equal pay between both genders of men & women. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation with over 195.8million people, having 60.65million labour force - with just about 50.53% female in its working population. [data via World Bank]

Kim DelMonico

For more comprehension, I engaged Kim DelMonico (@KimDelMonico), a brands expert & author, on what's her vivid perception about the topical issue of same wage package for women and men. And she gave her candid thoughts - "Closing the gender wage gap is possible, but requires solutions that help ensure that women’s work is valued fairly and that they are not unfairly penalized for their roles as primary caregivers.  Some of these solutions include raising minimum wage; supporting pay transparency; and support for affordable, high-quality child care."
"Additionally, women can help themselves by learning better negotiation skills, seeking promotions, and choosing careers that offer fair compensation," the influential author noted.

In another exclusive chat with Olalekan Adigun (@MrLekanAdigun) - a Public Affairs analyst - he somewhat remains supportive of the female gender on this issue. He noted, "On the question of equal pay, I think it's something we all should support. I honestly don't see any reason a woman shouldn't be paid the same amount as her male counterpart(s) doing the same job. If for anything, the average lady or woman while doing her job rides on so much psychological issues such emotions, pains, trust, insecurity, thus it is only natural to reward her undivided focus at achieving excellence on that job."
On whether it's realistic to achieve the agenda of same wage for both women and men, Olalekan Adigun was optimistic - "I think it is. The problem was and still remains the tradition of male domination. Such mentality must change for that to be realistic."
Also sharing his thoughts was social commentator & writer, Umeh (@UmehOma) - "I believe man and woman should be paid same if they’re doing the same work - except where a man has to do extra work routine, hence men get paid for the extra workload. Sometimes religion or cultural beliefs limit women in this context too, but such predominant beliefs need to be dumped or reviewed appropriately."

"And YES, the wage gap can be bridged. The government and concerned establishments must make conscious efforts to execute policies backed with workable effective laws that will make both genders (women and men) earn same. However, women too should 'come out of their shells' and prove, that if given that opportunity, they can assure excellent performances consistently worthy of an equal pay with their male counterparts," Umeh confidently claimed.

Many nations of the world have tried to address the gender pay gap by proffering laws that make it binding on companies to judiciously maintain a very reduced gender wage difference, but the problem still persists. Latest data from Global Wage Report 2018/2019 - considering full-time employed women - reveals Armenia being worst country with biggest gender wage difference of 26.1%, followed by Russian federation with 23.8%, while South Africa occupies the third spot with about 22.7% pay gap between men-women labour. Other nations in the world rankings include China with 17.0%, Bulgaria at 13.5%, Brazil offering 13.2%, Peru at 10.6%, and Nigeria with a deficiency of 18 - 21%. Expectedly, South Africa tops the African continent with the worst (biggest) gender pay disparity, followed by Namibia, Tanzania, and Malawi completing the Top4 in the black region. [stats via Global Wage Report]

Despite no assurances that an equal pay package can truly manifest in the foreseeable future, can we in Africa atleast achieve a significant reduction (bridging the gap) in gender wage inequality currently ranging at a high 21 - 22%?

Feel free to share your thoughts!

Who says a mother like Coco can't be sexy?

Maybe most times there are often those rumoured titbits flying around, especially on social media these days. Many people with various opinions, some positive, others negative, and even much more controversial ones. 

And one woman seems touched by the salient view of many observers that a woman who has kids isn't appealing to the eyes anymore i.e she isn't sexy no more while those curves might have gone saggy somewhat.

Wife of legendary rapper Ice T,  Coco is baffled by the unpopular opinion that she doesn't look sexy as before when she had no kid, even though she has a daughter now. 

Glamour model, Coco 

Coco, who is a glamour model and business mogul, however reiterated that she is still the super sexy Coco even after birthing a child, while sharing her gorgeous selfies for undiluted proof on her twitter page. 

See below Coco's tweet link:

https://twitter.com/cocosworld/status/1180228368790364167?s=19

What do you think about Coco's thoughts?

Super author Chika Unigwe reveals thoughts on lasting relationships!

Family - the basic entity that constitutes a formidable part of any society or community. However it is already a challenge to ensure that efficient process that breeds a reliable family setup. Even more, the trend of short-lived relationship and rising trend of divorce have been magnified by the constant paparazzi around celebrities in the entertainment industry. But can there really be any form of succour to salvage a failing relationship? Especially is there any defining role a lady (or woman alike) can take to check deficiencies in a love relationship?

While the black continent of Africa may be a developing region with lots of factors that readily attract breakups, it is however the nations in Europe that dominate the world ranking of Top10 countries with the highest divorce rate, and they are listed thus - Luxemburg 87%, Spain 65%, France 55%, Russia 51%, USA 46%, Germany 44%, UK 42%, New Zealand 42%, Australia 38%, and Canada with 38% rate. Whereas the Top10 countries with lowest rate of divorce include - India at 1%, Chile 3%, Colombia 9%, Mexico 15%, Kenya 15%, South Africa 17%, Egypt 17%, Brazil 21%, Turkey 22%, and Iran on 22%.
It is equally an eye-opener that Christianity has the largest chunk of heartbreak and divorces recorded by religion with 37%, followed by Catholic at 36%, Buddhist 30%, Jewish 28%, Islamic 20, and Hindu stands at just 1%. [data via Unified Lawyers]

Super author, Chika Unigwe

Could it be a case of too much westernization influencing our wellbeing as individuals, or a simple bit of liberating oneself from further calamitous situations? In a bid to get more clarity on achieving a lasting love relationship, I engaged a relationship expert Chika Unigwe - who is also an accomplished author with award-winning books such as "On Black Sisters' Street" and "Night Dancer" - on issues around divorce, sex, and lasting relationships. She believes irrespective of its overwhelming satisfaction, "a floundering relationship cannot be saved by sex, no matter how glorious."

On whether Sex can be a unifying factor in a failing relationship, Chika shares further, "The long answer is that relationships are based on just more than sex, or ought to. Sex is not a band aid or glue to hold together a relationship that is cracking. I’ve known couples separate even while acknowledging that the sex was good."
Many times couples or partners struggle to find that near-perfect balance to foster a better co-existence, but Chika Unigwe seems to have found the 'magical 3 factors' that can be of immense benefits to actualizing that desired lasting love bond.

"Here's what I think makes for an ideal relationship, they are (in no order): (I) Trust -  It’s impossible, in my opinion, to be truly free in a relationship if there’s no trust. And it’s impossible, in my opinion, to have a good relationship if one isn’t free. I do not understand people who insist on knowing their partner’s every move, who furtively and obsessively search through their partner’s phones and emails and etc. If you do this for no reason other than your own insecurities, you should have a long, honest chat with yourself. (II) Communication - I’m a great believer in talking (and listening). If you’re angry with your partner, let them know. They (partners) are not mind readers. A good relationship thrives because both parties understand and are sensitive to each other."
"(III) Compromise - You’re not in a relationship with yourself, learn to compromise, to reasonably meet your partner halfway (when necessary). Learn when a compromise is needed. If you can’t compromise on an issue, at least talk about it. If I had to add one more, I’d add 'Shared Values' - They say opposites attract but if your values are so different, if your priorities are way so different, especially if those priorities become more in the course of a relationship, chances are that that relationship would flounder."

Nonetheless, the creative author has a stern warning for those enduring bad patches in a relationship - "It’s difficult to tell an adult in a relationship what to accept and what not to. If infidelity is a dealbreaker for you, and it is for some, then you probably shouldn’t stay with a cheat if you can't help it."

Issues such as employment deficiency, alcohol/drugs addiction, physical & mental abuse, incompatibility, infidelity, etc, can easily cause a situation of divorce. Celebrity black women like Mercy Aigbe, La La Anthony, Tameka Foster, Eva Alordiah, Wendy Williams, Amber Rose, Janet Jackson, Tonto Dikeh - to mention but a few - have suffered from divorce propelled by one or more of the causative factors aforementioned in this paragraph.

Chika Unigwe 

Television show host Wendy Williams is the latest African-American female celebrity to have had enough of the "drama" after filing for divorce in April 2019 over husband Kevin Hunter's cheating scandal, which effectively ended her 22-year marriage that bore a 19-year-old son Kevin Jr. Though cheating allegations against her estranged husband were rife since last year 2018, the 54-year-old entrepreneur thought she could have a "thick skin" to "fight through it" - but it turns out it wasn't meant to be afterall and their marital union had to end, amicably though, with little or no mudslinging on social media.
But a different scenario often plays out In-terms of damage-control when core African celebrities are involved in issues of infidelity causing breakups. In a typical African format, it is often so much drama on social media. For instance, the much "publicized" divorce between Tonto Dikeh and her estranged husband Olakunle Churchill accused of cheating with her wife's one-time friend - it was really feisty and very non-chalant with back-and-forth shaming from both camps. At some point, many observers even suggested the Nigerian actress Tonto Dikeh was fully "under the influence" because she was so loose in her endless accusations of Churchill, not minding the possible trauma & stigma their little son could face when he grows up sooner rather than later. For now, she seemed to have moved on with rumours of her engagement with a Nigerian billionaire.

It is an open-secret that whatever reason whenever couples (who have kids) divorce, it is inevitable irrespective of gender that the kid(s) would either directly or indirectly feel the impact anytime soon. Particularly when such kid involved is a male, there's a high probability that growing-up he might experience some very aggravated behaviour that include, truancy, incoherent focus at school resulting to academic problems, anger, depression, aggressive attitude, to mention but a few. Girl child is less affected by aftermath effect of divorce largely due to her natural ability to suppress emotions.

Notably, marriage is widely acclaimed as 'another school of learning' particularly for females, thus as a woman whatever helpful tips you already have or learnt to help build not just a lasting love bond but a happy home, can surely be improved on. You can make a huge positive amend even when clearly you are the victim in such situation. We can learn from Will & Jada-Pinkett Smith (married since 1997), Olu Jacobs & Joke Silva (since 1989), and Denzel & Pauletta Washington (since 1983).

Feel free to share your thoughts!