“Forgiveness should not be reserved for one gender“ – Rita Edochie speaks on marital infidelity
Veteran Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has criticised what she described as the double standards society applies to men and women when it comes to infidelity in marriage.
The actress voiced her displeasure after sharing a video on Instagram on Monday showing a master of ceremonies addressing a couple, identified as Thomas and Mirabel, during what appeared to be a marriage ceremony.
In the clip, delivered in Igbo, the MC warned the wife that if she was unfaithful while her husband was away for several months, she would “die and run mad,” before asking her to respond with “amen.”
However, when speaking to the husband, the MC said that if he cheated on his wife, “God would forgive him because he did not do it intentionally,” a remark that sparked Edochie’s criticism.
The remarks drew a sharp reaction from Edochie, who said she hoped the video was merely a joke or a social media skit.
“I am very angry. This morning, I pray this is just a joke and content. Look, if men can be excused because they are “polygamous by nature”, then women deserve the same grace, the same mercy, and the same forgiveness. Enough of this gender inequality!!” she wrote.
“For too long, society has preached one gospel for men and another for women. When a man is unfaithful, many are quick to call it “his nature” or a moment of weakness, but when a woman commits the same offence, she is branded, condemned, nd often told she no longer deserves her home.
“How can the same act produce two different verdicts? How can one person be offered restoration while the other is shown the door? If the vows were exchanged equally, then the standard should also be applied equally.”
She argued that if infidelity is considered a sin, then both men and women should be held to the same standard.
“If infidelity is a sin, then it is a sin for both. If forgiveness exists, then it should not be reserved for one gender. Justice that favours men while crushing women is not justice; it is witchcraft,” she wrote.
“A marriage cannot be built on a system where the man is expected to be understood, while the woman is expected to be perfect; that is not fairness. It is partial.
