Heavy Chicks

Apparently, I'm a woman on the outside of all of this.  To be honest with you, I had no idea that there was an international women's day each year.  Even more to my shock, I discovered that this day has been observed for almost 100 years...and I feel as though I am a fairly informed woman, and yet here I am, admitting my embarrassment.

As I looked into the information about this day, I discovered the following:  "Women do 66% of world's work, produce 50% of world's food, earn 10% of world's income & own 1% of world's property."  I know the reality of the world, but looking at the last two statistics, my response is shock and pain.  The more I read on the UN Women page, I had two strangely mixed emotions:  frustration and hope. 

I'm frustrated that we aren't "there" yet.  That we can't safely assume that women have a place in every society beyond bearing children and keeping house.  And then there is the heavy stuff of femicide and the continued promotion of young boys far above young girls in the areas of education, health and wellness, and so on and so forth.

I'm also hopeful because within the past 100 years, there has been so much change within North America and the ripple effects are being felt across the world.  I also love the way that the Eastern world's ripples are being felt here as well.  I am continually impressed with the activism of Queen Rania of Jordan and the impact she has had on education for women and empowerment.

As women influence so much of the world, I look forward to the future when the divide between men and women continues to narrow in the realm of the world's equality.  Though some of these women's politics, policy, or even more so, theology, I disagree with, I can't help but applaud them for the advancements they have helped to contribute to in recent years and the awareness and empowerment they have provided across the world.  So thank-you: Hillary Clinton, Oprah, Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Angelina Jolie, Christiane Amanpour, Aung San Suu Kyi, and so many more.