First let me confirm I am a Feminist, unambiguously a Feminist. I believe wholeheartedly in the rights of women to have the same opportunities and advantages as men. I echo Justice Ginsberg’s comment “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”
This is feminism in a brilliant sentence or at least first world feminism. International Women’s Day is more than that. IWD focuses on the rights of women in areas of the world where being born female is actually a risk to life. In places where girls are commodities equal pay isn’t even a dream. Concern about the burden of home schooling during the pandemic must seem like a fairy tale to the parents of the 300 girls kidnapped at gunpoint from their school in Nigeria last month.
But here’s the rub as the bard said, if women in the first world don’t continue to lobby, agitate, vote and change societal attitudes then things won’t change for those girls. We carry on our backs the hopes, dreams and safety of those girls. It is up to us to inspire change and support the women and men around the world who can influence change.
IWD is about recognizing the rights of women and girls. It’s not in conflict with men and boys in fact with strength comes power and strong woman raise strong sons I know I have one.