"It was easy to persecute me without people feeling ashamed. It was easy to vilify me and project me as a woman who was not following the tradition of a 'good African woman' and as a highly educated elitist who was trying to show innocent African women ways of doing things that were not acceptable to African men"

This quote by Wangari Maathai speaks to the double requirements and discrimination she dealt with as a female in Africa. She was viewed as a risk to standard African gender roles and was damned for her education and her efforts to empower other African females. This quote highlights the ease with which she was maltreated and how individuals felt no embarassment in doing so. It also speaks to the power of patriarchy and how it can be utilized to oppress and manage females. Maathai's words are a pointer of the significance of defending what is best and battling versus gender inequality. Her words likewise serve as a call to action for individuals to recognize the value of gender equality and to work towards developing a more fair society.