THE COMMENTS MADE recently by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite about the wayward actions of some young women in this country are worrying.
These acts detailed by him should not only make us pause, but also make us hang our heads in shame.
For centuries, women have been viewed as the fairer sex, the nurturers and givers of live. They are the ones charged with the responsibility of shaping young lives, setting the example and, as such, there has always been a level of respect accorded to them.
We now pause in embarrassment when we hear that some young women are competing and even outstripping men when it comes to lawless and reckless acts. Many of them are smoking spliffs, drinking rum and other alcoholic beverages, and cursing excessively, acts once associated mainly with males.
What is sad is that the females, who play a tremendous role in shaping young lives, are setting bad examples. This behaviour is a backward step for women who throughout the years have worked hard to prove themselves, especially in business and in the boardrooms.
They have been, deservingly so, credited as the “go-getters”, the ones excelling in education making up the bulk of graduates from the University of the West Indies, and even holding down some of the top posts in businesses across various sectors.
The strength of women is not only seen and proven in businesses, but also in homes, where many of them are now the breadwinners. In Barbados in particular, many homes are run single-handedly by women who juggle and balance career with family.
It is therefore damning that after hundreds of years of fighting for pride of place in every sphere of society, that wayward acts among young women could be detailed by our Attorney General. This is a retrograde step and one that must be corrected as we move forward. It is critical that these young women clean up their acts if they are to make a meaningful contribution to society.
Women have fought too hard to get to where they are today. Coming on the heels of the United States election where for the first time a female was running for president on a Democratic Party ticket, with every hope of breaking the glass ceiling, it is incumbent on every woman to see this as an achievement. Every little girl should believe that she can dream and work hard to make it a reality. The glass ceiling can be shattered, but indiscipline, bad behaviour and wayward acts will not put one crack in it.
We therefore need to nip these acts in the bud. Social agencies, armed with the knowledge and tools, must do all they can to identify the issues some of these delinquent young women are facing and help them to find their way once again. We must see this as necessary for the good of our country and the future of our young people.
