The Zeitgeist of womanhood

Womanhood reflects self-concept of a woman with respect to her possession of the various qualities traditionally and ideally ascribed to womanliness; a woman's sense or view of herself as being more or less womanly.

The womanhood is supposed to be about honouring and healing both the healthy feminine and the healthy masculine within, being open yet having boundaries and the strength inside to endure, to trust our super powers of heart-centeredness and intuition, but also assert our intuition to be heart led.

I believe being a woman entails overcoming adversity. It means strength and empowerment, a time of discovering self-acceptance, self-respect, self-love, and self-care.

I first felt like a woman in high school when a male classmate, an uncourteous one approached and told me I had no right to top the class for two sessions straight. "Why so?" I asked him staring back into his flaming eyes. "Boys are meant to top the class, and you won't top the class again as long as I am in this school," he retorted. I simply walked away like I have always done from drama. Howbeit, I put on work burning the night oil as usual, and he left the school a session after but not without seeing and knowing I topped the class again and intimidation are not for those who know themselves. Another time I really felt like a woman was during my first pagent participation where I emerged the beauty queen even in the midst of spiteful utterances and behaviours from my fellow female contestants. Another instance which occured recently is when a friend turned her back on assisting me on a pre-approved discussion simply because I openly appreciated the beauty of another woman whom she felt and said was not beautiful. While, I was deeply hurt by this; my consolation is that I am a woman's woman and which every woman should be.

Being a woman holds that I can be anything and everything I really want to be. It means being able to stand firm for change on the issues that matter to us (women), being able to raise our voices on behalf of those who cannot, and standing alongside other women to show that they matter.


There are a lot of ways to be a woman. For some, womanhood is strength. For others, it's tenderness. Womanhood might be pushing yourself in school or in your career, or helping to lift others up. It could be raising children or traveling the world single. You can be a woman wearing a dress and heels, or when you are tying up your work boots. Womanhood is not defined by relationships, jobs, body parts, or anything else — it's not defined by anyone or anything but yourself.

Womanhood in this era have been marked by complexities and drama causing the dignity of the female gender to struggle. The one thing no one seems to converse much about women in the work place is how their confidence is undermined by other women who are above them in title or their direct bosses and how they prevent them from rising to greater heights and being the best version of themselves. Women being ridiculously and shamelessly chaotic with other women over who their position in men's life. Deliberately desisting from supporting or patronizing other women businesses. Refusing to speak up for other women when in the best position to do so. Women who loathes to see more beautiful women and then body shame the rest. More pitiable is that these hindrances and bad behaviors are peddled amongst women, by women and against women; women hating women. These deliberate or ignorant negativities soar from low self esteem, anger, unhealthy competition, guilt, past pain, pride, wickedness, disappointment,
dissatisfaction, greed, insecurity, lack of identity, queen bee syndrome, envy and the list continues. Every woman have a mark as she relates with other women. These marks come in form of experiences from past pleasant or unpleasant situations; yet past unpleasant experiences should not justify future bad behaviors.

Navigating and winning as a woman through life especially in a society that serenades patriarchy is overwhelming but not unachievable. Women are stronger than they can imagine and once one come to term with this awareness; there will be endless possibilities. Life will always present it's many varying mountains, so it remains pragmatic we figure causes and handle as such appropriately. This is with every other women and the least you can do is hate on another and spread tentacles of negativity and unproductivity. It is prudent to acknowledge that you are your most valid competition and when you come to that self actualization, you are on the path to having and maintaining solid and meaningful relationships with others, men and women alike.

It is about time we already discover and rediscover that women are great instruments for transformation. “Women speaking up for themselves and for those around them is the strongest force we have to change the world.” - Melinda Gates.
“Every girl and every woman, has the potential to make this world a better place, and that potential lies in the act of thinking higher thoughts and feeling deeper things. When women and girls, everywhere, begin to see themselves as more than inanimate objects; but as beautiful beings capable of deep feelings and high thoughts, this has the capacity to create change all around. The kind of change that is for the better.”
– C. JoyBell C.


It is important that we women begin to accept and acknowledge the abilities within us and in each other. We need the right behavior, attitudes, lifestyle, principles and foresight to live and experience the true essence of womanhood. We need to support our women leaders first and foremost and collaborate as we would do when we have a man as a leader. Take pride when we are led by women, do not make it harder than it already is for us. We need to compliment and praise when necessary; and as often as possible. We women leaders, need to be more open-minded toward constructive feedback; use them to better ourselves. We are to understand and accept that we are stronger, passionate, and committed. Let us be kind to ourselves, accept that we may do not have it all perfect, but we will always thrive to be better.

Always tell the women in your life that you care, be self sufficient, guard your tongue and words, assist a new mom, invest in a small business owner, support women in crisis, mentor a girl close to home, take responsibility for your actions, commit yourself to polite utterances.
I believe our driving force should hinge on advancement of womanhood and development of our societies..


Sandra Dike
Founder, Goldtruth Teens Foundation
Published Fiction Author
sandradikewrites.wordptess.com
dike.sandra.sd@gmail.com