I commend every single person fighting for women’s rights around the world, including equal pay for equal work but I’m not holding my breath that it will happen in the near future. I think society in general is prejudiced and it will take years to change perceptions and people’s mentality.

Our different races, beliefs and culture don’t help. We still have societies where women can’t vote, drive, dress a certain way or get an education and that in itself limits our potential. 

We also have millions of girls being groomed for marriage because that is what is perceived as the highest achievement in their communities. But I don’t want to apportion the blame to perception alone. 

There’re also women who don’t strive hard enough to grab the opportunities that can help improve their lives. Not every woman is in a relationship or married to a man who forbids her from working and yet we have girls with university degrees sitting at home waiting on the husband to put food on the table. I’m not judging here but that’s where all the inequality starts. 

I honestly think just about 1% of men share all their money with their wives or ‘Baby Mamas’. Only recently, during the failed EgyptAir hijack, one of the hostages, afraid he was about to be killed, reportedly called his wife to tell her about his secret account. She asked for the password and codes, which I guess I would too. 

Some joked that by the time he got back home, she would have drafted her claim in the divorce papers while others said she wanted access so she could make funeral arrangements! So yes, most men ‘hide’ money from their partners and I don’t blame them. 

At the end of the day, it’s their money and I believe as women, we must think of ways to make our own money and supplement our families’ income. If there’s something you can do, do it. Your man may be in position to take care of you now but life is so unpredictable. 

What if he loses his job or his business tanks? What if he just can’t work anymore due to a disability or incapacitation of some kind? You could be 40 or older then and it wouldn’t be as easy to find a job because remember skills evolve and there are likely to be younger, smarter applicants with whom you then have to compete for the same job. 

That would force you to take up any available job just so you can make some money and you will not be in position to ask for a higher pay because you’re desperate. I also want to reach out to girls who play into stereotypes. You may be pretty and sweet but don’t let men take advantage of you. 

Learn to do things instead of getting that guy who has a crush on you to do them for you because then, you won’t have the confidence to request a pay raise in that Board Meeting. 

Don’t compromise your values just because your supervisor or a senior manager says that’s the only way you can get a promotion. There are laws to protect our rights and if you have been working hard enough at your job, you deserve it and don’t owe anyone any favours.