When writing about women having a hard time in our societies, we often do not refer to the women who have been incarcerated or wrongfully so. But they are also very crucial demography of women. In communities today, it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of significant policies that cushion women (No! it’s always a gbasgbos situation for us). But who’s counting. The point is to note these things and move to change. In a developing world where women are already breaking grounds and proving to be resourceful innovators, it hurts to see how there’s still a battle with gender barriers. Women work twice as hard to be seen, acknowledged and respected; some might even call this a continuous uphill struggle, but we move!
When writing about women having a hard time in our societies, we often do not refer to the women who have been incarcerated or wrongfully so. But they are also very crucial demography of women. In communities today, it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of significant policies that cushion women (No! it’s always a gbasgbos situation for us). But who’s counting. The point is to note these things and move to change. In a developing world where women are already breaking grounds and proving to be resourceful innovators, it hurts to see how there’s still a battle with gender barriers. Women work twice as hard to be seen, acknowledged and respected; some might even call this a continuous uphill struggle, but we move! According to research, only a very few countries have women who share equal legal rights to work as men. Most countries limit women’s rights to three-quarters the rights men have. Although, societies can always argue that men are best suited for specific jobs. And most times, those kinds of jobs pay better. Where does this leave wise women in society today? (We are yet to have the answers)
I know that job hunting is never an easy sport, for a fact. The exhaustion of staying online, constantly checking your email and the mental stamina to keep on while you are being buried alive in rejection mails. While it is true that both men and women suffer the tedious sport of job hunting, let’s take a moment to imagine how difficult it would be for female ex-convicts who no doubt will be scrutinized as women and then as a convict to get jobs (if this isn’t dead on arrival I don’t know what is). This already means female ex-convicts have a slimmer chance at job placement than most women. Female ex-convicts released yearly face several challenges in finding job placements. During applications, questions about criminal records already disqualify such a person regardless of their qualification. After going through the rigour of getting the necessary certifications and the needed rehabilitation to get employed, she would undoubtedly feel disappointed seeing all her effort going to waste.
Being an ex-convict shouldn’t be an ex-convict’s identity to carry like a shadow throughout her lifetime, should it?. Daily, an increasing number of females face this stigma when hunting for jobs. There are cases of life-long unemployment that often resort back to crime (it’s the boomerang effect). Although companies have legitimate reasons not to hire a person with a criminal record, it still seems cruel that smart female ex-convicts continuously face these stigmas. It’s not even a crime to have a criminal record. Some of these women may possess the right skill and maybe the right talent to impact growth in companies and even advance society as a whole.
Instead of pushing aside the validities and qualifications of brilliant women in our generation due to their past lives, setting up a female inclusion or mentorship program should be adopted by organizations to provide opportunities for this fraction of individuals in society. An investment of this sort should not be seen as a waste since
women tend to reinvest their money and time into their families more than men (that’s a fact). Investing in women is an investment in society as a whole. Government should work hand in hand with NGOs that provide rehabilitation and training. A step further can be the government putting reforms and laws in place to allow ex-convicts to integrate into society easily. Recent research shows that many multinationals such as McDonald’s, Amazon, and Coca-Cola have employees with criminal records. Criminal records and gender shouldn’t stop anyone from getting their dream jobs.
