For more than 100 years, March 8th has marked International Women’s Day around the world. It was officially recognized by the U.N in 1977 and has been linked to historical changes in legislation all over the world.
- Now is not the time for complacency “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands,” said author and activist Maya Angelou, “you need to be able to throw something back.”
Great strides have been made for equality but there’s a long way to go. It’s shocking how recently some legislation was passed. In the UK where I live, it wasn’t until 1975 that a woman could open a bank account in her own name. It was 1980 before it was possible to apply for a credit card or loan without a husband or father’s signature and 1994 before maternity leave became compulsory.
Women and men have stepped up and fought for women’s rights but we don’t have to dedicate our lives to activism to make a change. Calling out sexist language or taking time to mentor young women over coffee is important. If a woman says something in a meeting and she’s interrupted, we can redirect and amplify her voice by saying: “As Lisa pointed out earlier…” - There’s room for everyone
Some men’s rights activists believe “the efforts to enhance the rights of women have become toxic efforts to undermine the rights of men” This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Studies point to the societal benefits of equality. A report by WHO comparing 41 European countries found that men’s health was poorer where the sexual division of labor was imbalanced. Productivity and wellbeing are better where there’s equality in parental leave or flexible working for all genders. Whether it’s income, gender, race or sexuality, inequality has negative consequences. In the quest for equality, one person’s gain is not another’s loss. - Let’s go the whole mile
As we all know, male and female aren’t the only genders to choose from. So while we’re shooting for equality, let’s spread the love.
Unconscious bias was a concept introduced in a landmark experiment called the Implicit Association Test (IAT) aimed at measuring the unconscious roots of prejudice affecting 90-95% of people. Neuroscientists found that the potential for prejudice is basically hardwired in us and exacerbated by the media. Just look at the spike in crime against people of Chinese ethnicity in the wake of coronavirus. But we can work to reduce our biases and become conscious of how we discriminate.
Say it flowers if you want, hashtag it and phone your mum. But take action too, until the moment to truly celebrate: When we don’t need an International Women’s Day at all.
Image credits: Adobe Stock