Marriage, Children Not Life Achievements – Etinosa Idemudia

Nollywood actress Etinosa Idemudia has advised women not to measure their success by marriage or having children. Instead, she encouraged them to value themselves, pursue their dreams, and live life at their own pace without allowing society to pressure them.

Speaking during an interview with media personality Egungun, Etinosa said one of the most important lessons she wants to teach her daughter is self-respect and self-worth.

She said, “If I don’t teach my daughter anything, I would teach her how to respect herself, how to value herself, because a woman who respects herself can never be disrespected by anyone.”

The actress added that she would never raise her daughter to believe that marriage or motherhood is the ultimate measure of success.

According to her, “Marriage is not an achievement. Having children is not an achievement. She will do whatever she wants to do at her own time, at her own pace.”

Etinosa also shared her thoughts on success in the movie industry. She explained that while hard work is important, it is not the only factor that determines success, noting that some actors work harder than she does but receive less recognition.

She said, “Hard work is part of it, but I can never say that hard work is all of it because there are some people who act far more than me, who work far harder than me, but I might be more recognised than them or I might be more successful than them. Like the Bible says, ‘Paul plants, Apollos waters, and God brings the increase’. It’s not just hard work. Hard work alone is not enough, just like love alone is not enough in marriage.”

The actress further encouraged women to stay committed to their careers, saying they often have to work harder than men to receive the same level of recognition.

She said, “I feel we women need to work twice as hard to get the recognition or applause for what a man will work half as hard for. So, as a woman, you need to be on top of your game.”

Etinosa also urged women not to be discouraged by criticism or false accusations from people who try to undermine successful women.

She said, “You need to close your ears to people who say, ‘Oh, she didn’t get it by merit. She went to sleep with somebody.’ Women will never stop calling a successful woman names. So block your ears to the noise. Stay grounded. Stay focused. Study people who have made it ahead of you. Do not envy. Be inspired. Do not be jealous.”