It’s always somewhat amusing reading about including women in spaces and places in society.

It comes across as women not being part of the broader ecosystem, and perhaps needing to be handled and slowly introduced into society. The time has come for society to look for a new approach and a new architecture that will ensure gender parity.

“Allowing ” for women to be included comes across as giving us the “privilege” to participate in our own societies, as if that were not already a right. Every few years a movement for women’s liberation and rights comes along.

For various reasons, we find ourselves moving forward, but invariably, after some time, we take numerous steps back again. The regression is characterised by, among others, suppressing and hiding our femininity, erasing our occupancy and minimising our humanity.

All this in an effort to make invisible our being, lest we incur the wrath that may affect our peace in the spaces we occupy. We can no longer speak about the inclusivity of women, as our forebears have already fought that battle.

Perhaps we can argue inspiration – to inspire society to be brave enough to break down the walls and ensure gender equality in all spaces; to accept that when women achieve, they have done so through merit and hard work.

Inspiring others to see the value of women begins with seeing the value within ourselves. We need to remember the divinity that exists in each woman, where women still show up for work, and love, care, fight, win and triumph over society’s hard-handed fist.

Additionally, we need to embrace one another as women, rather than be shaken by each other’s greatness. We need to work towards a time and place where mothers in our communities feel a sense of responsibility towards younger women, and protect and nurture them; and where young women see elder women as their own mothers and respect them accordingly.

The sanctity and sacredness of a woman should be brought back into society, because it will be through that admiration, honour and respect that inspiration will follow. In a society where few things are sacred and where the rapid rate of consumption – visually, intellectually and spiritually – has devastated what was once held dear, we have to dive deep as individuals, as societies and communities.

We need to once again find the beauty of a woman. This intervention needs to begin from childhood, where we build societies of young girls and boys who are inspired by women; and where men are equally honoured

.In this way, the two will be more able to work side by side towards a common goal of building something great. When we look back at the queens and empresses of our beautiful African continent, their participation in society was embraced, and their very existence inspired – Queen Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Aminatu, Queen Njinga, Queen Moremi and the Empress Candace... the list is endless.

As their daughters, let us stand tall. Let us instead embrace our greatness. Let us embrace our strength and talent, and let us not fight to be included in places where we already exist, but rather live to inspire and bring back the essence that is woman.

■ Prof Senkubuge is a medical doctor and University of Pretoria’s acting vice-principal for student life