Men Want Sons N.I.L.

Except for religious societies, men and women are equal before the law and are entitled to the same opportunities. It’s enshrined in most constitutions, but the reality is that we are comparing oranges with lemons. They can never be equal for many reasons, the main one being giving birth to human beings. That’s why they tolerate us because they need kids, preferably sons to perpetuate their name and hobbies. What do they call it in American football? Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

Hobbies is not even the right word. It’s more than that. It’s the reason for their existence. That’s why men want sons to be farmers, fishermen, welders, carpenters, my dad was a cop I’m also a cop, actors, soccer, NFL, NBA and MLB players, just like them. That’s the crux of the matter, of the inequality. Men have a seam less relay from boy’s dream to man’s realization of that dream because it is fully supported by society.

The girl child is expected to drop the baton permanently and have kids, especially sons that will not belong to her because on-lookers say ‘he looks just like his daddy.’ Some women try to do the whole relay like their brothers, but the finishing line might have a bitter end. A female doctor checking on her patient after a difficult birth, might be asked: Doctor, do you have your own kids? A successful female architect might avoid going to family events because her sister, who has six kids with a husband that beats her black and blue, mocks her for not having kids.

Women in cultural and religious societies don’t even bother to dream. They go along with what is expected of them: wear heavy make-up and elaborate wedding dresses, get pregnant afterwards and have sons that will continue their husbands’ Name Image and Likeness (NIL).

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger