He’s 65 years old.
Retired pensioner.
Worked all his life to raise his kids.
Deprived himself of life’s pleasures to pay expensive school fees and living expenses for his kids abroad.
They are now well-off in Europe and America.
His wife, 60, has relocated to live with her kids.
He’s alone back in Nigeria.
His kids barely call him.
He now has to start life all over as a bachelor.
He struggles with high blood pressure and other ailments.
How long more would he survive alone?
This is the reality for most working class monogamous men. Their old age is usually lonely and in many cases, sad.
Try as you may, women love their kids more than their husbands, no matter how good the man is. The older he gets, the less use they have for him.
Tell me then, what do men benefit from marriage?
They sacrifice so much but get little recognition for the hard work. The woman reaps all the benefits as the kids are often closer and more affectionate towards her when she becomes old.
As a man, know this. Your kids are your wife’s children. You are only helping her raise them.
When last did you speak with your father? But a week wouldn’t go by without hearing from your mom.
What is a man’s gain when he sacrifices so much but gets little or nothing in return?
Well, that’s patriarchy. It demands the man literally gives up his happiness, pleasures, resources and life for women and children.
It is a good thing, that people are cognizant that there are 3 sides to every story.
Your story line perpertuates the demise of the African man; that is the african man who wears his ego as a symbolic badge of honor. Unfortunately, this badge is more of a chain that weighs downs the african family unit. A chain forged, welded, cemented by those african men who insist on synonymizing ‘male pride’ with uncompromising ucontrol .
The African man can be proud without resorting to victimhood.
Your audience would be better served if you present the complete sides to the story. For example, the main reason adult children hesitate to call a parent, is because of the barrage of admonishments that precedes the conversation.
Marriage benefits both the man and the woman. Who benefits more (or less), should not be an issue of competition, but rather as family concerns for discussion and compromise through the length of the entire marriage.