I had never heard of March 8 as being an internationally celebrated holiday until I adopted my daughter from Russia and became friends with a Russian lady who lives here in Atlanta.
"International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity." [source]
I think it's great to recognize women, but on the other hand it shouldn't be necessary. Half of the humans on earth are female. We should automatically get the equal treatment we deserve without having to beg anyone for it. Unfortunately, in many countries women are still treated as second-class citizens. In Arab countries, women only recently earned the right to drive a car, get a job, and be free from guardianship by male relatives.
You may think that has nothing to do with Americans but there are religions here in the USA which also push women to be submissive to men and take a backseat in all things. Mormon women primarily still go to college to find a spouse, according to this article. Mormon women are not encouraged to work outside the home. Gender roles are very traditional. That's also true for Hasidic Jews, as I was a Hasidic Jew but I Broke Free explains.
"If you’re looking for a guide to modern life, the Bible is a challenging place to start. That’s especially true on matters of women’s rights: As a thousand-years-old text, it’s frustratingly oblique on such thorny issues as how women should dress, whether they should work outside the home, and God’s preferred balance of career and motherhood." [Mormon women are caught between economic pressures and the word of God].
Since the bible was written hundreds of years ago by male authors in a patriarchal society very different from today I have always been puzzled by women who think the bible is the final authority on how to behave, dress, worship, etc. I took a class in bible studies some years ago and our teacher [one of the female priests there at the church] said we have to read the bible in light of when it was written. The world today is a very different place than it was during the Council of Nicea, and even a cursory study of the controversies back then should be enough to lead a reasonable person to conclude the bible must be interpreted. It's not infallible. You have to look at it in context.
I count myself lucky that I grew up with a father who always told me I could do anything I wanted. I also had a mother who encouraged me to learn and explore and develop my talents as a writer, singer, actress, cook, etc. My parents were very encouraging. They also applauded when in 1978 the Episcopal Church began ordaining women to the priesthood. My dad's second-in-command at the bank where he worked was a female, and she quit to go start her own bank and is now a huge success, in Knoxville.
The world my mom was born into in 1933 was a very different place. Women had only had the right to vote since 1920. Most women didn't pursue careers. Sexism was common. Women were the butt of jokes ["take my wife, please"] and a lack of reliable birth control limited choices. The world has had to evolve so much since then, and the evolution has been a bumpy ride.
Even in my lifetime [since 1962] things have changed dramatically. I only had one friend as a child whose mother worked. My mother had been raised by a working mother. Mom hated coming home to an empty house as a child, and consciously chose to stay home and raise me and my brother, but nobody criticized her for that. Nowadays, young women can face criticism if they simply want to be a SAHM [stay at home mom]. That's not fair, either.
I count myself as a feminist but not a feminazi. I think women should have equal rights, but also equal responsibilities.
Birth control is much easier to come by these days, and more reliable. So why are women still needing abortions? I am going to plunge into murky waters here and say something that will [for sure] make all the people reading this angry, but I feel strongly about it. I think that any women who gets pregnant by accident has to own up to what happened and 1) tell the father and make the decisions in conjunction with him, and 2) carry to term if she is past the first trimester. I don't approve of the draconian laws saying nobody can get an abortion if there is a heartbeat. However, the opposite view, that women should be able to abort a child even into the third trimester, is even more horrifying.
Abortion is one of those thorny topics which will continue to divide us as a nation for years to come, I am sure. I do not want Roe v. Wade overturned but I don't think it will be. I do think states will make their own laws and Federal law may not always carry the day. In the future, women may have to travel a bit to terminate a pregnancy.
I have always maintained the best way to prevent abortions is simple: give teenagers access to birth control, easily and cheaply. They are hormone-driven anyway, and to expect all teens to be celibate until marriage just isn't realistic. However, if a young woman does get pregnant and has no help, then that's just wrong. If you anti-abortion folks want to save babies, help the mamas.
As long as women are the only humans who can get pregnant and have children, life will be more complicated for us than it is for men. That's just basic biology. I hate the fact that abortion is such a polarizing issue today, and folks on both sides are often unreasonable about it. If you cannot discuss it with civility and reason, you can never solve a problem -- any problem.
We live in a society that values sound bites and slogans, and ideas that make for provocative Tweets. We do not teach our children how to wade through all the mis-information out there and learn to debate ideas properly. The lack of critical thinking ability divides us along lines of gender, race, regions, sexuality, and more. News used to be objection and informative. Now, it's entertainment-driven because people have much shorter attention spans.
Women's issues have become very polarizing. I rejoice in the Me Too movement because I have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace and it's gone unchecked for far too long. However, if innocent men are getting accused and villified, that's tragic.
Every coin has two sides.
Back to my original premise: International Women's Day. I hope one day in the near future it will disappear. I hope we won't need it. When the day comes that women are respected, valued, and given the exact same rights and privileges as men [personally and professionally] there will be no need for it. It will be like celebrating International Human Beings Day -- just not necessary.
On a personal Note: my mother has been in the hospital for 10 days now and is recuperating from the flu and a UTI. It's been hard sledding, as I have been sick, too. Please keep us in your prayers..
below left, my Henderson grandmother and two of her sisters, right my Butler grandmother and three of her sisters
