Yesterday was International Women's Day as you may already know thanks to the the floods of 'inspiring' quotes on both Facebook and Twitter. Described as a 'celebration of women's economic, political and social achievements', this historical event is one that continues to capture our imaginations. I don't want to be one to follow the crowd so to speak, but if there was ever a 'right' time to write a post, it is now, on this hugely uplifting and widely recognised day.
Women and power. They go together hand in hand. Or so they should. The struggle for women is still evident today, and this is a struggle we feel on a global scale. From those suffering in third world counties at the hands of domineering and destructive men, to the women in parliament who it appears are unfit to be pregnant and withhold a job. Even now, women are earning less than their male counterparts in various parts of the world statistics show. Gender equality. The gap is closing, but it is clearly still an issue. Yes, things have improved drastically from when our grandparents were alive, but it's not over yet...
So why is International Women's Day important (the clue is in the title)? It celebrates women in all shapes and forms. We can do anything. Housewives, mothers, career women - you name it. What we don't do so well is celebrate our achievements, and yet, there has been so many. Yesterday was a chance to do exactly that. Although different, all the paths mentioned just now are as worthwhile as one another. I for one wont be getting pregnant any time soon, but this isn't to say there is anything wrong with this. If a woman chooses to have a child at the age of twenty, so be it. We and we only are responsible for creating our own happiness. There is an incredible amount of pressure on women today to achieve, to go above and beyond what previous generations have done. The great thing is, we now have the resources to do so, university being at the forefront of my mind.
So why not grab these opportunities with both hands? I know I am. But not all women think as I do, and this is where the conflict lies I believe. Nowadays we appear to be competing, rather than enlightening one another, and until this comes to an end, the struggle will be ongoing. No woman is identical so why should we fit into just one category? Yes, there has been a shift from the stereotypical housewife days, but now there appears to be a huge gap between these sorts of women and women in power so to speak. What happens to those in between?
Women and discrimination is still an issue. I have experienced this first hand. The other night being a prime example. One rather drunken male decided to make a rather derogatory comment about the colour of my hair. I laughed this off, but is this something we should be laughing about? It is comments like these that bring these issues to light, and yet, we are surrounded by this sort of behaviour on a daily basis. In the workplace, on public transport and even in the home. Take the new Delhi bus incident which has been dominating the news again just recently. It takes a strong woman to fight back, and that this victim certainly was.
So here's to strong women, to those suffering, and all those in between...
