A Nigerian woman, Udochukwu Favour Osinachi, has criticised the deeply ingrained societal gender roles that view childcare as the primary responsibility of a mother.
She stated this in a Facebook post about how she is often judged whenever her husband carries their baby in a carrier during evening strolls.
According to her, some people even go as far as telling her husband to return the baby to her.
Udochukwu also said some men hail her husband for being a ‘good man’ because he carries his own child.
She pointed out that a child belongs to both parents, and raising him or her should be a shared responsibility.
“Whenever we decide to take an evening stroll and my husband carries the baby in the carrier, I notice the stares, murmurs, and judgy eyes,” she wrote.
Some are bold enough to say, give the baby to the mother naa. One even said loudly, all these new generation mothers sef.
Some men will go ahead and hail him, saying, you are a good man, this one is fair sef.
As much as I appreciate his help whenever he is around, what I don’t understand is people’s attitude just because he is carrying HIS CHILD, bonding with the child, and doing his duty as a father.
He wasn’t forced, commanded, or coercèd; he wanted to, as a father.
Maybe if I told them that sometimes the only thing I do at night is breastfeed the baby, and he does the soothing, swaddling, baby do do do do, they might want to střanglè me.
No, it’s not just the woman’s child; it’s OUR CHILD. His child, my child!
Maybe we need a trumpet to sound it that parenting is teamwork.
