the patriarchy and its ultimate search for female subservience
<p>All the windows thrown open, yet the lab is steadfastly hot. I imagine ripping off my shirt, working with only my undergarments, and wondering how it is this hot so early in the year. But the temperature of our ventilated lab is not all that bothers me. Mabel (not her real name), our cleaning lady, is working in my office. She will soon get here to introduce a pause to my work and rattle me about her Christmas chicken. She is not Christian, used to be, but converted to Islam in marriage. I leave the office before she enters, feeling the weight of my thoughts even in my joints. My neck hurts today, a sign that I fell asleep the wrong way. But my neck isn’t the only thing that hurts. These questions churn in my head, creating theories and discarding arguments. I return to the WhatsApp group, where the conversation is ongoing, and watch the other women talk, argue, disapprove, and agree. I scroll upwards in search of where it all began. I shut down my phone. Thoughts continue to simmer, even as I return to work.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@iruomachukwuemeka/the-patriarchy-and-its-ultimate-search-for-female-subservience-ad46a011f2f4"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>