Nollywood actress Mary Remmy Njoku has spoken up on gender sacrifices often overlooked by society, stating that women tend to carry the financial and emotional weight of families in silence.

The actress via her Instagram page, recalled a conversation she had with a colleague who lamented about how the pressure to provide, earn money and build a business falls on the man. She explained that although she did not see the need to argue with said male colleague, she pondered on the conversation and the reality of thousands of women.

Njoku noted that although women carry the weight in the home too, their contributions and sacrifices are often overlooked

“They helped raise siblings, paid school fees, supported parents, cared for relatives, and carried responsibilities that were never meant for one person alone. Some are still doing it today, even after getting married and starting families of their own. Sometimes, their sacrifices are overlooked. Sometimes, their achievements are credited to the nearest man in the room. Sometimes, they’re expected to carry the load so quietly that people forget they were carrying it at all. Society has long celebrated men as providers, while treating many women’s contributions as expected, invisible, or secondary,” she stated.

Njoku also lauded women who actively build and hold their homes together, adding that they carry way more than people acknowledge and are allowed to celebrate their success.

“To every woman out there who is providing, building, leading, nurturing, sacrificing, succeeding at work, and still holding her home together… Take your flowers. You’ve been carrying far more than most people will ever acknowledge. Your work matters. Your sacrifices count. Your success is yours. And you don’t need anyone’s permission to own it,” she concluded.