International Women’s Day – There’s Work To Do

This International Women’s Day (officially tomorrow, March 8th), let’s promise each other to make a small change. Maybe give other women the benefit of the doubt. We can decide to stop gossip about other women simply by saying, “I don’t know that to be true.” Making incremental moves can snowball. They’re a start.

We can remember to say something good about a woman instead of something negative. Give a woman an opportunity instead of assuming she’s not up to it. Remember that we all have crises of confidence and a little encouragement goes a long way. Teach another woman something that will help her navigate through life. Ask another woman to teach us something we don’t know.

We Have It Good/We Have It Bad

Canadian women have much better lives than women in many other countries.

Late last year in Afghanistan, the Taliban banned windows in new construction. This is its latest step in erasing women from public view. “Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts.”  Translation: we don’t teach men how to behave with women so rape is a woman’s fault. Girls in that country must end their education at grade six. It’s a nightmarish place to be born female and an extreme example.

Canada isn’t ideal, though, and the U.S. is steadily marching toward more female oppression. There is a large (and some say growing) faction that’s working hard to reduce our rights. They can prevent me having the right to choose and it won’t change my life. But their sheer gall to turn back the calendar on young women – it’s unconscionable.

Women are Canaries in Coal Mines

There’s an old saying: You can tell how a man will treat women by the way he treats his mother.

And another one: How civilized a culture is, depends on how it treats its women.

The theme for International Women’s Day in Canada is Strength in Every Story. Say what you will about him, but I like having a feminist in the PM’s office on IWD. That hasn’t always been, nor will it always be the case.

I saw this post on social media recently. It is 100% true about every woman you know. Regardless of age, build, fitness level, or self-confidence. Whether she’s homeless or wears a power suit to a skyscraper for work. Knowing this, it seems to me we should all treat each other better. Empathy isn’t weakness. Kindness is free. Lack of support won’t toughen us up. We need each other. We need men, too.

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