Rising and Shining.
‘We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced’ — Malala Yousafzai
The quest in search of the voice and the need to be heard and represented in an earlier male- dominated society has evolved in different ways over the years starting from the Russian Revolution of 1917 which highlighted the women’s strike for food and equal voting rights.
These efforts to draw attention to the inequalities sprawling over every phase of personal as well as professional lives resulted in the International Women’s Day observed on March 8 to take stock of how far we’ve come in terms of gender equality and women’s rights movement.
The theme for this year ‘ Embrace Equity’ speaks about how just ensuring equal opportunities is not enough. There is a fine line of difference between equality and equity. Equality means each individual or group is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each individual has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
Statistics from all over the world show us that there is a huge gap in hiring, promotions and pay given to men as opposed to women. Physically and mentally, men and women are different but they both are equally capable and deserve equal opportunities at the workplace and in their personal lives. Campaigns including bicycle rallies and megathons on breaking stereotypes and empowering women continue all year around.
According to the United Nations a survey of women journalists from 125 countries found that 73 percent had suffered online violence in the course of their work.
Newspaper headlines expose the daily sexual crimes against women. Consent, including the yes/no connotations and marital rape which wasn’t addressed until recently became a topic of heated discussion. Maternal mortality rates dropped. Approved period leave is one such start. From pay parity to a sense of safety, women are fighting the good fight to secure their future.
The trans movement which prioritizes transgender rights is now a part of the general feminist journey. Authors Emi Koyama and Julia Serano talk of transfeminism to integrate it with mainstream feminism. The movement has led to a broader and deeper thinking on gender divides in what is hopefully an inclusive enviornment.
Gender inclusivity is the need of the hour. It is about welcoming and accepting all gender identities and providing equal opportunities to everyone. Its time that we stop seeing the world in a binary way.
So as G. D. Anderson said ‘Feminism isn’t just about making women strong. Women are already strong. Its about changing the way the world perceives that strength’.
Enjoyed reading this story? Here is an interesting article from our side:
https://medium.com/paperkin/the-taoist-way-of-contentment-3b412150970b
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