First of all... happy international women's day!!!
Feminism by definition is the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. From the suffragette movement in 1903 to Hillary Clinton vying for the role of President of the United States, women all over the world are still fighting for gender equality.
Today, on March 8th 2018, the world will celebrate international women's day which commemorates the movement for women's rights. The theme for this year is #PressForProgress, this hashtag represents the urgency to push for change and achieve gender equality. The theme is also a nod towards the growing activism and campaigns for women’s equality. In the midst of #MeToo and #TimesUp, campaigns that aimed to raise awareness and spark a change have taken hold of communities across the globe.
Feminism isn't 'women are superior to men' it's 'women should be treated equally to men.' This includes women on the LGBTQ plus spectrum, disabled women, trans women, women of colour etc.
"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights," says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem. International Women's Day is a global event all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action. Already we have witnessed a significant change and attitude shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality. It is so important that as women, we build each other up instead of tear each other down.
The greatest problem women face is that today, in the twenty-first century, we are still not paid equally to that our male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
Figures from the office for national statistics show that women are being paid 9.4% less than men. Despite this being the lowest gap so far, it is a minor improvement from the past six years. Back in 2012 women earned 9.5% less than men. The World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report suggests gender parity is still over 200 years away.
Women's rights are human rights and we deserve to be respected, and seen as human being rather than object that is there for a males sexual gratification. As an aspiring midwife, i'd be daft to not be a feminist. When women procreate and deliver their baby/babies, they deserve to be empowered. The term midwife literally means 'with woman' that means being with her through the nine month pregnancy and the one month handover post partum. It means supporting whatever decision she makes whether I agree with it or not, midwifery is about that unbiased, holistic approach to care. It means empowering her, and encouraging her that although it may be hard and difficult and incredibly painful, she can still go through it, that is what her body is made for (should she pursue motherhood) and that her body wouldn't make a baby that she couldn't push out.
I truly believe we should all be feminists. I want my future children to grow up in a society where they are seen as equals, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, academic and personal achievements. I want them to work hard and stand up for what is right, even if it doesn't benefit them. I want them to be paid what they've earned and deserve.
Thank you for reading,
love and light xo
