I was talking to some young guys (friends of my husband) the other day about music etc. and one of them brought up a musical influence: John Lennon. Specifically, he brought up the song that Lennon and wife Yoko Ono wrote in 1972 called “Woman is the Nigger of the World”. The young man was relating to me how he could see the truth in the lyrics of that song and that it seems sadly to be much the same in our culture today, for women.
I had to agree with him to a great extent. And though I feel that in the U.S. most women have a greater chance at personal freedom, employment, and successful lives. I must acknowledge the reality of the inequities that still exist. For one, women still on average earn less than their male counterparts for equal work. According to a recent story by ABC News, women earn approximate 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. This is in spite of the fact that overall, women are now more highly educated than men. And though, money is only the tip of the iceberg in illustrating the gender inequities, I think it is representative of why Lennon penned the words for that song back in 1972.
Thinking of the plight of women, historically made me think about what it must be like for women who find themselves homeless. Even though statistics show that there are more homeless men than women, the trend is showing an increase in homelessness for women. From my informal web research, the percentages are something like 60-65% male to 35-30% female in most urban areas. But the complications of being female and homeless are often greater, especially if a woman has children. Another sad fact is that these women are vulnerable to abuse and sexual abuse, by being out there on the streets. Many women become homeless due to their attempts at escaping domestic abuse by their partner. Other reasons include, growing up in foster care and the difficulty in transition there, mental health issues, drug abuse, and the list goes on…
I cannot imagine what a woman who is homeless must do to survive, but I know it must involve things that are heart-breaking and painful. I am a woman and I know that my Creator said that men should treat women with gentleness as the “weaker” sex. This does not mean women are weak, but it does mean, I believe that God intended for men to protect, support, and give to the woman. After all she is the one who carries life and perpetuates our race by having babies. So men, please do what you should, so that women are no longer the niggers of the world.
Note: * nigger* is not meant in anyway to be a racial slur. I sincerely hope no one will be offended.
God Bless, LG
