It is International Women's Day and a day for us to celebrate women. Every year for me this is a day of introspection, it is a day to celebrate how far we have come. But it is also a day to remind ourselves the work is not done yet, we have a long way to go. I look around me today and see other strong independent women. Leaders and thinkers that are paving the way for future generations. When I think about the work we have to do there are some things top of mind.
Celebrate "Woman"
A few years ago I tried to write about the
feminism movement and my disagreement with some of the messages coming out.
Unfortunately I think I came out sounding bitter and unclear. So am going to
try this again. Women have had to fight long and hard for basic rights. It's been an uphill battle but sometimes we
forget the difference between equity and all things equal. No one has the right
to determine what a woman can or can't do, but at the same time a woman should
be able to be herself. Women have inherent differences in qualities and
abilities. Let us celebrate that difference.
Diversity and Inclusion starts at home
Lately we have been seeing a lot of companies
come out with D & I initiatives. That is something to be really proud of.
But it should make its way to your house. How do you bring equity to home? How
do you erase the gender stereotypes from your subconscious? If there are 2
adults in a household, regardless of gender they are equally responsible to
keep the house, manage finances and raise a family. You cannot "help"
someone do what you are responsible for. Let's think about these
micro-aggressions in our lives and how we can correct them?
Penetration in society
While we all talk about feminism and women's
liberation I have always felt a gross misrepresentation in the ranks. I have
lately been reading and educating myself about more deep rooted issues. As I
have done this I have realized feminism or equality is talked about more from the
views of the "elitists" today. I never had to fight for the right to
be educated, right to work, or the right to make my own decisions. I never had
to deal with domestic abuse, or even more basic things like poverty. It is easy
for me to talk about Women Equality while there are others that are still
trying to get basic rights. While the conversations we are having are great and
essential, we need to think about how do we penetrate deeper into the society?
Create a rEvolution
I see this already happening. Every
generation seems to be doing a little better than the previous. My mother
wanted to be an engineer, but in her day women in engineering were frowned
upon! For me there was no question about my right to get the education I
wanted. I see the next generation couples being more equitable in family roles
than my generation is. So now its time to think about our children and how we
take this further. I talk to my son about gender equity a lot and share my
thoughts so he has a womans' perspective. This way my hope is that he can be
more empathetic in his role as an adult. I talk to my daughter about the
importance of grabbing every opportunity and how much women in the past fought
for these rights. I also talk to her about celebrating her differentiator as a
women and leveraging that to her best abilities.
As I write this I know we as a society will get there, we will continue to move ahead. Years back when men talked in support of feminism they either sounded condescending or patronizing. Today I see more of a willingness to introspect and look within. I see this generation is more pliable and willing to change. And that is great progress! Together we can establish that true equity to all humanity and yet celebrate those differences that make us human! Happy International Women's' day!
