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“Women Must Know Their Place.” Let’s Talk About That!

Lucy Peace Nantume with other participants at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in March 2025.

“Women must know their place!”

It’s a statement that gets thrown around often, sometimes casually, sometimes as a command. But what does it really mean?

In addition to my work in law and human rights, I co-lead a family enrichment platform called The Couple Binders, with my husband. In our engagements with couples, we’ve heard this phrase time and again. “She should know her place,” some men say, often when their wives express ambitions beyond the home or seek to make independent decisions.

We’ve seen this phrase thrown around when a woman dares to dream or step beyond the traditional script. Maybe she wants to pursue a career. Or return to school. Or start a business. And suddenly, her ambition becomes a problem. For many, especially within the context of marriage and family life, “knowing her place” has been twisted into a tool of limitation, confining women to domestic roles and suggesting that their only rightful place is beneath or behind their husbands.

But here’s the truth:
A woman’s place is wherever the Lord has called her to be.
Her place is in purpose.
Her place is in leadership.
Her place is in influence, service, business, and impact.

This message was deeply affirmed during my recent participation in the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York this March. I had the honor of attending in my capacity as Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors at FIDA Uganda, an organization that has spent the last 50 years advancing gender justice through legal aid, advocacy, and community empowerment.

Lucy Peace Nantume the FIDA Uganda Board of Directors Vice Chair at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN Headquarters , New York in March 2025.

Alongside the main sessions, I was privileged to moderate a powerful side event organized by FIDA Uganda in collaboration with the National Association of Women’s Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU), FOKUS (Norway), and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD). We discussed Uganda’s ongoing poverty alleviation initiatives, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women (GROW) programme. Despite these initiatives, women are still not benefiting from them as anticipated because to many, their place should still be confined to the home.

This year also marked the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a global commitment to gender equality. It was a timely moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how much further we must go to ensure that every woman and girl is empowered to reach her full potential.

One of the most memorable remarks from the opening session came from Mr. Bob Rae, President of the Economic and Social Council:
“Women must know their place. What’s a woman’s place? It’s here. It’s there. It’s anywhere and everywhere.”

That’s the mindset we need. And that’s the kind of world we must build, starting in our own homes.

Marriage should never be a cage. It should be a launchpad, a partnership where each person is seen, heard, and supported to fulfill their God-given calling. When women are empowered, not limited, everyone wins. Families flourish. Communities grow. Nations thrive.

Lucy Peace at the UN Headquarters in New York in March 2025

That’s why we must call on men to be intentional allies. True leadership, especially in the home, is not about control, it’s about stewardship. It’s about creating space for both the man and the woman to thrive. Let’s raise sons who honor and support women, and daughters who know they can dream big and achieve more.

The pursuit of gender equality is not about diminishing men. It is about uplifting humanity. It is about saying that every person man or woman, boy or girl has value, has dreams, and deserves the chance to live out their potential fully.

As I sat in those CSW sessions, listening to stories of resilience, courage, and ambition from women around the world, I was reminded that progress is possible. But it will take all of us, not just women advocating for themselves, but men walking alongside them, challenging harmful norms, and modeling partnerships built on equality and respect.

So yes, women must know their place.
Their place is in strategy rooms.
Their place is in classrooms and courtrooms.
Their place is in ministry, entrepreneurship, and advocacy.
Their place is in the home, if they choose.

Her place is everywhere purpose leads her.
And her place is in every space where her God-given potential can shine.

Let us be the generation that creates room for every woman to find and thrive in her place, without fear, without resistance, and without apology.

Let us champion homes, relationships, and policies that reflect this truth.

Lucy Peace Nantume

Vice Chairperson, Board of Directors – FIDA Uganda
Co-founder – The Couple Binders

Lucy is a wife, mother, daughter, and friend striving to serve God with her whole life. She is a lawyer with expertise in human rights. Together with her husband, Ronald Kazibwe, they are passionate about helping couples to thrive in their marriages. They are “The Couple Binders.” Visit their website www.thecouplebinders.com for more details about them and what they do.

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