They tell me it is Int’l Women’s Day today
My question is why is there only one day each year that women are recognized for the contribution they make to families, societies, communities, businesses, to health, to education, to making the world a softer, gentler place?
How long is the world going to look at women as a different species to be patronized and recognized when everyone is feeling generous towards us? When I hear women say that it is acceptable for us to now have careers in one field or the other or for us to venture out of the confines that were once our comfort zones, something in me cries out ACCEPTABLE TO WHOM??? Should not every decision about me be made by me? Am I not to be trusted to make the right decisions?
Women are an equal and important segment of society. Their roles should never have been defined by anyone other than themselves. If I, as a woman, choose to work, to start a business, to become a pilot, an architect, a farmer, an artist, a programmer, an animator, a writer, a cafe owner, a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, an IT entrepreneur; if i choose to sell my arts and crafts, or to become a politician, the President or PM of my country or if I choose not to work because I can’t or don’t want to, that should also be my decision. No pressure, no restrictions.
As a woman I know what I am capable of, what I want to be recognized as. I know what my responsibilities are. I know what makes me special and unique. I know what I am able to achieve. I know what my expectations of myself are. I know who is special to me and who I want to care for. I know what contribution I want to make to my family, my friends, my community, my country and the world. If you want to do something for me, give me the respect that any human being deserves - to make my own decisions, to live my own life, to be my own person. If I need your help or your advice, I will ask ….
3 comments March 8, 2008
