Women, culture, religious laws and state laws.

I have been involved in a workshop where we are examining culture, religious laws and state laws and how it affects women especially in the area of inheritance. After listening to most of the participants and hearing how the leaders who are men have used these laws to subdue women and keep them where they feel the women should be. The questions that arises is WHY? Why should anyone make rules and implement rules that are suicidal, destructive and backward to women. What are they afraid of? Why do they feel that they should go to such an extreme to keep women down? Is this still in the name of culture and protecting the ways of our ancestors? Honestly we really need to take time and think this through. At this juncture I'm lost for words. Why should some cultures stone and kill women?Why should the law prevent an excuse for men not to allow women own or inherit property, why should women be denied information or kept from getting it? We must resolve this through awareness, media campaign, seminars, focus group discussions, training women leaders, capacity building for women especially those without formal education, meetings with gatekeepers and stakeholders. I could go on and on with strategies to combat the wrong meted out to women. The most important thing is for us to know that we must continue to push, be the change we want to see and do not give up no matter what happens. Have at the back of your mind that failure is NOT AN OPTION, WE MUST SUCCEED AND WIN IN THIS CAUSE.