International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day ladies. Today is in celebration of all we have achieved against all the odds. For a life time of contribution to society, politics and humanity. Today is our day and one to remember. We have come a long way since the days of Emmeline Pankhurst and we still have a long way to go. Or have we??

Are we there yet and if not, where is there? Technically speaking we haven’t done any more than our male counterparts, yet it’s taken a very long time to get to where we are today. The road here has been long and arduous with every step a struggle and fight. A fight for equality, a fight against injustice and a fight just to be on a level playing field with men. We haven’t asked for special treatment or favours or fanfares. Just equal rights and a chance to do whatever it is that we want to do without any gender stigma attached.

Slowly but surely as the last barriers of male dominance come down, we are closer now than we have ever been to equal pegging. Emancipation and equality have changed a woman’s role in the modern day world (sorry western World). We will not be defined or limited by our gender, but by our ability to do the job asked of us. On a like for like basis there is little that we can't do, which has been proven by high profile women doing top level jobs that include Prime Minister, Chief Constable, Magistrates, Leading Industrialists, Medical professionals and achieving senior rank in the Military.

Modern day family values have improved in general with changes made over the past two generations, with each generation doing more. The traditional clear cut roles of mother (excluding childbirth) and father becoming blurred and non-gender specific. A good change. A change that is not “modern day thinking”, but morally and socially correct.

However equality doesn’t just appear in all things good. Socially speaking men and women are or at least should be on the same level, which includes antisocial behaviour too. We are just as likely to see drunk out of control women on our streets as we are men. Fighting and crime are not male dominated and you are just as likely to be a victim of female crime as male.

I know that there is still plenty to do in matters of religion, where we are still rejected as equals and actively suppressed in our right to equality. Worse still, it doesn’t look like that’s about to change any-time soon. But there are also things that we can’t do or wouldn’t want to do for that matter, so back to my original question, “do we still have a long way to go”?

The truth is we have arrived, and there’s no going back. There is little else left to concur in the modern western world. We have overcome adversity, prejudice, sexism and enough Neanderthal chauvinism to last a lifetime, so well done you, well done us and thank you to all those that stood up and made a difference. Today is our day, today is International Women’s Day.

Written by Lilly at MyBingoBonus.com