Celebrating today and being a feminist is not about hating men or wishing to diminish them, it is about celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. The official theme for this years International Women’s Day is “Choose to Challenge”, recognising the need to call out gender bias and inequality. Today shines a light on the issues that women face and recognises those that have helped on the path to equality. It is a day about breaking barriers that women face and paving the way for all future women, in the hope that they no longer face injustice and inequality.
I’m proud to declare that I am a feminist and I contribute to the fight for equality at every opportunity. I believe that men are fundamental to the world, but I also believe that women are equally fundamental, but this is not the view that everyone takes. Women around the world have been repressed since the dawn of time, and even today women struggle to be heard, listened to and respected – we are no where near where we deserve to be.
The Younger Generation
If you ask a little girl what she wants to be when she grows up, she will not hesitate to name an occupation- a doctor, an athlete, a librarian, a waste collector etc. It’s society that build those barriers and parents that project their ideologies onto their children that hinder the equality women are fighting for. In some countries girls are not entitled to an education, they are not allowed to work and they exist purely to be married off to a man. I work with someone who is adamant that if they had a daughter she would not be allowed to play sport, become a mechanic etc, because it’s unconventional for a girl to do these things. Why? Society puts women in a box and makes it hard for them to step outside of it. If I had a daughter I would help her do everything necessary to prepare her for the job she wants and would help break down any barriers in her way. There should be no job that a woman cannot do, just because she is a woman.
“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants”
-Coco Chanel
I believe that it is important to teach young girls about the women who have fought for equality and those that continue to fight. Teaching girls about the struggles that women have faced in the not so distant past may help them realise that although there may still be many glass ceilings to break through, there are so many things that they can now do.
One of the biggest recent events for young women is arguably the inauguration of Kamala Harris to Vice President of the United States. This sent a message not only to American Citizens, but to all young women across the world that they can aspire to be anything that they want and that their aspirations are achievable. A country that spent four years under the reign of one of the most misogynist men to exist decided that enough was enough and elected not just a female vice president but a president who is an advocate for equality in every form.
Sport
I am a huge fan of sport and watch a lot of women football matches. It has improved dramatically over the past few years in regards to the equipment they are given, the pitches and the ability to watch it on the TV as opposed to online. However, female footballers are still not treated with the respect that they deserve. England are more advanced than other countries in regards to female sport, but there is still a lot to be done. A lot of matches are still only available online and it is a struggle to hunt for the webpage to view the games on. Women are still not paid a fraction of what the men are paid, whilst I understand both sides of this argument, women should still be paid in the same realm as men as they are doing the same job. They are putting in the training hours, they abide by the schedule set by their coaches and they give it their all in matches. Facilities in female sports team differ significantly dependent on the country, for instance the USA are working with elite equipment compared to French teams. I hope that this changes and that for all female sports teams the facilities are improved as this will only enhance the game and the way it is played.
“People need to talk about it – about how young girls are still being told they can’t play football, how life is so much easier if you’re a white male”
-Lucy Bronze
My favourite sport is football and when I was younger the only idols I had were men. I didn’t even know that women played football other than for fun. I had never seen a woman play football and I certainly did not know that a woman could be a professional footballer. When I was in my teens my step-aunt played competitive football and it was the first time I realised that football could be more than a hobby for women. I was in awe of her and was truly inspired by her. I wanted to follow in her footsteps and for a while had my heart set on becoming a professional footballer. Alas my love for the law prevailed, but to this day I remember finding out that my step-aunt was pursuing a career in football and still feel an immense amount of pride. Girls today now have the likes of Alex Scott, Lucy Bronze and Megan Rapinoe to look up to and watch play and I could not be happier that young girls get to see women playing professional football.
Why Not Give Us A Smile?
I will never understand why men insist on telling a woman to smile. You never hear a woman telling a man to smile. Even if the intent is purely innocent, telling a woman to smile is dictatorial and it shouldn’t happen. Now before I’m accused of being a radical feminist, let me unpack this. What if you are having a bad day, perhaps having severe cramps, or maybe you have recently suffered a loss and there is a male stranger requesting you to smile for them? It is a selfish request, because you may not want to smile, so the only reason you would be smiling is to please a stranger, which is absurd.
“Come on little lady, give us a smile. No, I ain’t got nothin’ to smile about. I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for, A moment to say I don’t owe you a goddamn thing”
Nightmare, Halsey
What may seem like a friendly gesture is far from that, because there is nothing friendly about a man encouraging a women to smile, especially when if you comply you have just inadvertently entered into an unwanted conversation with a stranger. It is condescending and unacceptable that there are men that will berate a woman into doing something that she is not comfortable doing. What makes it worse is that the request is rarely in a caring tone, it is normally quite demanding.
Defining Moments For Women
There are too many to list so I have handpicked a few. What I will say is that despite the following moments happening, there are still far too many countries where women have limited, if not no rights and to those women the following moments seem unattainable. Well to them I say that the fight for equality continues, not just in our individual countries, but for gender equality in every country in the world.
“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer”
-Rihanna
- In October 2019 NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch took part in the first all-women spacewalk. One had been planned for March in that year, however, it had to be postponed when it was apparent that NASA didn’t have appropriately sized spacesuits for women.
- The women’s US football team demanded equal pay after winning their fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup in July 2019. The women’s team has been far more successful than the men’s and has produced far more revenue in the past few years, but does not earn equal wages. Whilst the outcome was not as hoped, the discussion now has a spotlight on it and it is a discussion that will not end until women in sport are equal to the men.
- In Egypt, Tanzania and Indonesia bans on child marriage are now in effect, working to protect girls, their futures and education.
- There is widespread support for gender equality and for women to have the same rights as men.
- As of January 2020 38% of the Icelandic Parliament are women. From 2009 to 2013 Iceland’s Prime Minister was Johanna Sigurdardottir, who was the country’s first female prime minister and the world’s first openly gay Head of State.
- The ‘ideal’ body image of women is changing. There is a fight to normalise normal bodies, so that women do not feel ashamed or disgusted with the way that their body looks. Every body shape is beautiful and women shouldn’t be made to feel otherwise.
My Final Thoughts
Women are made to feel as if they need to apologise for how they act, but you should never be apologetic for being you. You should never feel like you cannot be yourself. Women are constantly told that they are too loud, too emotional, not wearing enough clothes, not good enough, that they should smile more, that they are fat, that they are asking for it, the list could go on forever. Society has this view of women that is just ridiculous. The pressure that women face to be perfect is overwhelming. The fact that we are pitted against each other is disgraceful. Women are strong, intelligent and worthy.
“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights”
-Hillary Clinton
This time last year I was at a Halsey concert and it was my best International Women’s Day to date. Halsey is such an advocate for women, for the LGBTQ+ community, for diversity and for equality in all aspects of life. To be in a room filled with feminists, allies and Halsey was an amazing experience. This International Women’s Day is obviously quite different, but that doesn’t mean that we still cannot celebrate. Although I am currently in an exam period, I have watched TV shows with strong female leads, I have watched films directed by women and I am promoting women involved in the fight to equality through my Instagram stories.
I am proud to say that I was raised by a strong woman, I am surrounded by strong women and I am a strong woman. Today we celebrate the women that have paved the way for us. Because of them we can now vote, we now have senior positions and we now have a podium for our voice. There is still a long way to go, with struggles at each turn, but at least we are on the path to equality. There are some who have not faced prejudice for being a woman, but there are many who face it on a daily basis and to those I stand with you and will continue to fight for the equality of women.
Think I Have It All Together? Guess Again 