Black Tax: Two sides of a coin

Black tax is popularly known to have originated in South Africa, however, people across Africa and beyond can relate to being responsible for their family’s financial needs.

In Nigeria, some people are solely responsible for the financial needs of some or all of their family members. This often depends on their position in the family, the “height” they have attained in society, or the pedestal that their family members have placed them on.

Black tax is indeed a common phenomenon in Nigeria and beyond. However, in this piece, it will be viewed as two sides of a coin. Some people on one side see it as an honour to be in charge and be solely involved in the financial decisions of the people they cater for. It is a thing of pride for them and they see it as a duty. 

On the other side of the coin, some people see this as harmful to their finances as they cannot do anything meaningful for themselves because the external demands on their finances exceed what they truly earn. So, they try to avoid these demands as much as they can. Nigerians call these demands “Billing.”  

A quick one, which gender is likely to fall on either side of the coin? In a patriarchal society, the male gender is likely to be in the category where they see being the sole provider of the family as a duty or a thing of pride while the female gender sees black tax as a burden as opposed to being a duty. 

In this society, men thrive on the notion that they are strong, in control and should win; no matter what. Therefore, having people at their mercy feeds their ego and makes it a point of achievement for them. 

 

On the other hand, women have no business being in control as that’s what society upholds. This doesn’t mean some women don’t contribute financially to their families. In a situation of death of a prominent relative or the absence of a male figure occurs and puts the female in the “position” that the society has originally carved out for men, there’s the likelihood that she would see it as a burden and have a hard time seeing it as her duty. 

Above all, one would agree that society influences the people in it and affects their ideology in the long run. However, some people find their way out of the grip of society and view things differently and liberally as a result of exposure and the influence of other societal values. In such a case, the positions can change such that the gender that sees black tax as a burden begins to see it as a role that they are happy or willing to take on and vice-versa. 

 

 

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