Men: The Endangered Gender.

In Nigeria and across the West, gender conversations have become loud, almost deafening. Women’s rights. Girl-child education. Female empowerment. We have heard it all, and rightly so. Women suffered years of systemic disadvantage, and society is trying to make amends. But in this quest for justice, have we not swung the pendulum too far? 

Check some scholarship boards. Federal, state, or private. You will find scholarships exclusively for women. Engineering scholarships for female students. Tech boot camps for young ladies. Grants for female entrepreneurs. But where are the ones for men? Or do boys not need education too? Who will sponsor the sons of men? Who will train Olu, Chibuzo, and Danjuma? Who will sponsor the boys? 

The imbalance is glaring. And yet, if a man dares to complain, he is called a misogynist. Won ni o n korira obinrin! (They say he hates women!) But is it hatred to ask for fairness? If we agree that justice is blind, then why does she seem to wink at only one gender?  

Let us talk about Mason Greenwood. The young Manchester United player was accused of assault. Before the case even got to court, social media had judged him guilty. Ile aye ti da ejo tan! (The world had passed judgment already!) Sponsors withdrew. Contracts were canceled. His career nose-dived.  

But when the case was finally dropped, did he get the same loud vindication? No. Society moved on, leaving him in ruins. If the goal was fairness, why does the benefit of the doubt seem to belong to only one side?  

If a marriage collapses in the West, the man must brace himself. Divorce settlements have turned men into paupers. The system favors women. Half of his wealth? Gone. Custody of the children? Lost. Alimony? Paid in full. Many men who walked into marriage as kings have crawled out as beggars.  

Thank God for Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan footballer. He played his cards well. When divorce came knocking, his wife found out—kosi nkan l’oruko e! (There was nothing in his name!) Everything was in his mother’s care. The world was shocked, but should we be? He had simply learned from the men who had suffered before him.  

For decades, feminists have fought for women’s rights. And they have won great victories. But in the process, have we not forgotten the boys? Ta lo ranti awon okunrin? (Who remembers the men?)  

Men are accused of being oppressors, but society is becoming blind to their struggles. High suicide rates. Lack of mental health support. Economic pressures. False accusations. The list is long. But no one is listening.  

Yes, men abused power in the past. Yes, women suffered for it. But in trying to fix the problem, are we not creating another injustice? 

Help the men! They are fast becoming endangered species.

Written by Peter Abegunde.