By: John S. Morlu II, CPA
Five hundred years ago, the ultimate family announcement wasn’t “We’re pregnant!” — it was “It’s a boy!” That single sentence could alter the destiny of a kingdom, a family name, and a nation’s inheritance laws. It was the ancient version of a stock market boom. Trumpets would sound, chickens would die in celebration, and astrologers would immediately start predicting a glorious future. A boy meant continuity — land secured, lineage extended, family name protected. A girl meant dowry — debt, drama, and eventual disappearance into another man’s family.
The Curse of No Boy
King Henry VIII remains the gold medalist of male-child obsession. He turned matrimony into a blood sport — six wives, two executions, and one massive schism with the Catholic Church. Why? Because not enough boys arrived crying in the royal nursery.
Henry’s logic was both simple and insane: “No son? New wife.” Catherine of Aragon couldn’t produce a surviving male heir — so she was divorced. Anne Boleyn gave him a daughter (the brilliant Elizabeth I) — so he beheaded her. Jane Seymour finally gave him Edward VI — she died shortly after, leaving Henry more paranoid than ever.
He literally broke away from the Pope just so he could keep trying. That’s how deep the “boy mania” ran — divine laws were up for renegotiation if it meant a Y chromosome.
But England wasn’t alone. In China, the one-child policy of the 20th century later produced a demographic crisis because millions of families chose to keep sons and abandon daughters. In India, female infanticide ran for centuries under the belief that “raising a girl is watering someone else’s garden.” Across cultures, the birth of a girl was often followed by silence, tears, or worse — prayers for the next one to come out “right.”
Enter the Knowledge and Talent Economy
Fast forward to the 21st century. The fields are gone. The castles have Wi-Fi. And the only throne left is the office chair with lumbar support. The economy has evolved — from soil and sweat to screens and skills.
Today, it’s not about who can swing a sword or plow a field, but who can code, create, or communicate. The kingdom now belongs to whoever can run Excel macros and survive Monday meetings.
And so the cosmic joke unfolds: The same societies that once worshiped the boy child now treat him like an obsolete software version. The modern cry is “It’s a girl!” — not because of feminism, but because girls are outperforming everyone.
Now Everyone Wants a Girl Child
In much of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the girl child is now viewed as a social investment — a walking pension plan.
You hear proud mothers say, “My daughter is in the city,” and that simple sentence carries more weight than a will. It means food arrives at the end of the month. It means the lights stay on. It means survival.
Meanwhile, the sons — once considered the hope of the family — are often at home attending a motivational seminar on YouTube titled “How to Be a Billionaire with No Job.”
The girl child is now the breadwinner, benefactor, and back-up plan. She’s expected to rise, shine, earn, and rescue everyone — including her parents, siblings, and that one uncle who refuses to work but shows up at Christmas with big appetite and bigger advice.
The Rich-Man Fantasy
The new economic dream is simple: Get your daughter to marry rich. It’s the modern retirement strategy in many developing countries.
Forget savings, forget pension contributions — just raise a “respectable girl” who can attract a successful man. If she does, the whole family eats. If she doesn’t, the WhatsApp prayer chain begins: “May she meet her helper in Jesus’ name.”
But here’s the tragedy: rich men are rare. They make up just 1% of the population. The rest are battling inflation, unemployment, and a generational burnout. The 1% are already hiding behind prenups, podcasts, and therapy, muttering: “I’m tired of being the village development plan.”
The Gender Education Paradox
For the past three decades, billions of dollars have gone into the campaign to “Educate the Girl Child.” It was noble, necessary, and transformative — but it came with unintended side effects.
While girls were being equipped with scholarships, mentorships, and STEM programs, the boys were left home managing the family goat and a dying Nokia phone.
Now, in many countries, the education ratio has flipped. In Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, female university enrollment often surpasses male. In classrooms, girls dominate academic rankings. In workplaces, they climb faster.
The result? A generation of men who feel left out of a world they were told they would inherit. The boy who was once born a “prince” now works as an unpaid intern while his sister signs deals in air-conditioned offices.
The New Social Pyramid
This new reality has created a strange hierarchy of expectations:
- The girl child is the new family financier. She works three jobs and still sends money home every week.
- The boy child is emotionally adrift — too educated to farm, too underqualified to compete, and too proud to ask for help.
- The parents? They have become dependent investors, living off their daughter’s hard-earned salary while still telling her to “respect your brother; he’s the man of the house.”
It’s a cultural contradiction worthy of a soap opera: the man of the house who doesn’t pay for the house.
Every family WhatsApp group chat now reads like a subtle bank statement: “Good morning, my daughter. How are you?”
Translation: Are we eating this week?
The Rich Man Crisis
The few wealthy men left are emotionally on the defensive. They know the math: one man, ten relatives, and twenty in-laws expecting monthly upkeep. They’ve turned generosity into an installment plan — one favor per quarter, max.
They’re not stingy; they’re traumatized. Every date feels like a potential merger and acquisition deal. Every wedding feels like a fiscal policy.
The Rise of the Weary Woman
On the other side, women are overwhelmed. They’ve become the emotional, financial, and spiritual pillars of families — while being criticized for not smiling enough.
They are the new warriors — managing office deadlines, supporting relatives, paying school fees, and still being expected to cook with love.
In this exhaustion, a new character has emerged: The Functional Feminist Realist.
She’s not angry at men; she’s just out of bandwidth. She’s caring, calculating, and perpetually cautious — she’ll help everyone, but not without backup plans.
Her mantra is quiet but firm: “I’m not your retirement plan.”
Fun Facts & Tidbits
- In the 1800s, nearly 90% of the world worked in agriculture. Today, less than 2% do. That means the “boy to work the farm” dream is as outdated as sending faxes.
- Studies show that women reinvest up to 90% of their income into their families, while men reinvest only 30–40%. This explains why daughters are the preferred social insurance.
- UNESCO data shows that in some African countries, female literacy rates have surpassed male literacy rates for the first time in recorded history — a total historical reversal.
- Economists now warn of a “boy crisis” — an emerging class of undereducated men disconnected from the new digital economy.
- Psychologists note rising levels of resentment and identity confusion among men, who grew up being told they were “the head” of households they can no longer financially lead.
The Irony of Evolution
History has a cruel sense of humor.
For centuries, kings, chiefs, and farmers prayed for boys to build empires.
Now, families pray for girls to sustain households.
The boy who was once the “future of the family” now lives in it like a nostalgic painting — admired but economically irrelevant.
The girl who was once hidden in the kitchen is now the CEO, the sponsor, the provider, and sometimes, the only adult in the room.
What was once a son’s privilege is now a daughter’s pressure.
What was once patriarchy’s pride has become its punchline.
So to all the King Henrys of the past — congratulations.
You wanted a world ruled by sons.
You got one saved by daughters.
500 Years Later: How the World Flipped from “It’s a Boy!” to “Thank God, It’s a Girl!”
THEN (1500s–1900s): THE AGE OF HEIRS & FARMS
Tagline: The soil decided your value — and gender decided your destiny.
The Obsession:
- “We need a boy to take over the throne!”
- “We need a boy to till the land!”
- “We need a boy to protect the name!”
The Reality:
- Girls buried at birth in parts of Asia.
- Wives divorced for birthing daughters.
- Kings waged wars over lack of male heirs (hello, Henry VIII).
The Logic:
“No son, no legacy.” Because who would plow, inherit, or command the army — the embroidery club?
NOW (2000s–2020s): THE AGE OF BRAINS & BROADBAND
Tagline: The farm is gone. The throne is Wi-Fi.
The New Mantra:
- “We need a girl to finish school!”
- “We need a girl to get a job in the city!”
- “We need a girl to send money home!”
The Shift:
- No more land — just laptops.
- Knowledge = capital.
- Girls = social insurance.
- Sons = motivational speakers without audience.
The Family Logic Today: “Raise a daughter → marry her to a rich man → retire early.”
THE IRONY OF THE 1%
Stat Check:
- Only 1% of men are truly wealthy.
- 99% are broke, burdened, or “building something.”
- Meanwhile, women carry entire households like unpaid social security schemes.
🎙️ Quote from Every African Auntie: “My daughter is doing well in the city.”
(Translation: She’s feeding six people, two cousins, and one uncle with opinions.)
THE GENDER EDUCATION PARADOX
Past 30 Years: Billions invested in “Educate the Girl Child.”
✅ Girls empowered.
❌ Boys ignored.
Results:
- More women than men in universities (Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa).
- More women in formal jobs.
- More men in denial.
New Ratio: For every 100 girls in school → only 88 boys.
THE RICH MAN PARANOIA
The 1% Thinking:
- “Every date is a merger proposal.”
- “Every marriage is an IPO.”
- “Every family group chat is a tax return.”
Behavioral Adjustment:
- Help in small doses.
- No family adoption plan.
- Emotional minimalism.
THE RISE OF THE WEARY WOMAN
Profile:
- Works 10 hours daily.
- Sends 30% of income home.
- Manages parents, siblings, and sometimes her partner’s self-esteem.
Nickname: Functional Feminist Realist — caring, cunning, and calculating.
Motto: “I love you — but I’m not your retirement plan.”
FUN FACTS
📉 In 1800 → 90% of people worked on farms.
📈 Today → Less than 2% do.
🏫 In many countries, women now outnumber men in universities.
💸 Women reinvest 90% of income into families (men reinvest 30–40%).
⚖️ Global gender roles reversed in one century flat.
SUMMARY: HISTORY’S PLOT TWIST
| THEN (1500s) | NOW (2020s) |
| Boy = Heir | Girl = Hope |
| Farm = Wealth | Knowledge = Wealth |
| Throne = Power | Laptop = Power |
| Marriage = Dowry | Marriage = Social Mobility |
| Girl = Burden | Girl = Breadwinner |
| Boy = Pride | Boy = Pressure |
🎯 FINAL IRONY
Once upon a time, families prayed for a boy to build the empire.
Now, they pray for a girl to pay the bills.
“The world doesn’t need more princes. It needs daughters with data plans.”
👑 The kings are gone.
💻 The queens are online.
💵 And the future — she’s already working overtime.
Author: John S. Morlu II, CPA is the CEO and Chief Strategist of JS Morlu, leads a globally recognized public accounting and management consultancy firm. Under his visionary leadership, JS Morlu has become a pioneer in developing cutting-edge technologies across B2B, B2C, P2P, and B2G verticals. The firm’s groundbreaking innovations include AI-powered reconciliation software (ReckSoft.com) and advanced cloud accounting solutions (FinovatePro.com), setting new industry standards for efficiency, accuracy, and technological excellence.