TICK TOK
I find Big Ben in London intriguing. For those who don't know its the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. Big Ben is a tourist attraction. Folks from far and wide travel to London to watch the big clock as it chimes away.
I have a clock, a biological one. Mine unlike Big Ben which is celebrated is frowned upon. My clock ticks fast, way to fast for many people's liking. Like milk on a shelf, I have an expiry date. I can go bad after a number of years, 35 to be precise. Sexual Harassment, Female Genital Mutilation(FGM), Gender-Based Violence (GBV) are among the few issues I face as a woman, an African woman. You'd think that because of the mentioned issues, society would cut me some slack. But no, I have a ticking time bomb instead. Fifty years ago a girl my age would not only have been married off but have progeny to show. But times have changed haven't they? Women can now access education, take loans and even run for president, but this clock does not care. Tik Tok is all I hear from everyone around me.
My plan is to chase my corporate career for as long as I can. I plan to not only get in the door, pull a seat at the table but also deliberately speak at the table. For all this some would say is okay, but a few tots won't hurt would they? According to statistics when a woman takes a break to have children her job suffers. Meaning that her source of income suffers, the same is applied to her lifestyle. Women like Sheryl Sanberg who have stuck to the corporate reigns explain the need for one to suffer. When the career is pitted against kids one is left unattended to. In her case, she’s missed many parent-teacher conferences and pediatrician visits because of her highflying career. This is the price women with careers have to pay.
I am not a mum, but what I know is that women go through a lot when it comes to juggling between their lives, work, kids and the mister. Having children should be a choice and not an issue that one is taunted into doing. Women like Oprah chose not to have kids and instead focus on herself and her career. Motherhood according to mums is the most fulfilling but underpaid job ever. I don't know my stand on kids, but I know where I stand as far as my career is concerned. My biological clock is ticking, it will continue ticking for a very long time before my decision is made. The naysayers will continue taunting my choice but I will keep going. This is because I'm more than just a vessel of procreation.
Let thy clock tick.