"Girls, after school, you will go and look for a man to marry."

The phrase is one many young women have heard at one point in their lives. Often spoken casually by parents, community elders, and, more shockingly, by educated people, it carries deep implications about society's expectations of women. Beneath the humour lies a long-standing belief: that a woman's ultimate achievement is marriage. In many societies, especially across Africa, girls are raised with the understanding that marriage is not only desirable but necessary. This expectation can limit a girl's confidence, shift her priorities prematurely, or lead her to believe that her education is valuable only if it makes her a "better wife". This statement sounds simple, but it carries a deeply insulting message toward girls. It is that no matter how hard a girl studies or how talented she is, her education will not lead to a career, success, or independence, but only to marriage. The statement insults girls by portraying them as people who cannot stand on their own, who always need a man to defend their identity or future. It also implies that girls are incapable of building careers, businesses, driving innovation, or holding leadership roles. It suggests that their worth is solely defined by their marital status. It causes a reduction in girls' dreams, goals, and abilities to just "finding a man" as if that is the only thing they are capable of doing. Empowering girls means giving them the freedom to envision that their futures are not defined by societal scripts but by personal goals. It means teaching them that success can be a career, family, both, or neither, depending on what brings them peace and purpose. Dear girls, remember this: your dreams are valid, your voice matters, and your future holds endless possibilities. Don't let anyone limit your vision with the old belief that your purpose ends in marriage. You are more than a role someone expects you to play; you are a leader in the making, a creator of change, and a person with limitless potential. All those who have made up their minds to be "Odogwu's wife," change your mindset and be something for yourselves.