It's Our Day Ladies! ....

Today, the 8th March, is International Womens' Day.  I like to remember this date on my Blog every year, and I do this in honour of all the women over many, many years who have fought courageously for women to be considered equal to men.  It saddens me today, to look around and, although, yes, things have altered beyond recognition in many ways, there still seems that there is a lot yet to be done.

Each year, the United Nations declares a theme for this important day, although some groups select their own individual theme, more relevant to what is going on in their particular area. The theme this year is "Inspiring Change."  If you are interested, please go along to their official website, where you will gain more information.

 Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world, ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events, through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and much more.

The new millennium  witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy.

With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women carrying out impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to their male counterparts and they are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics, or representated globally enough in health and education. Violence is also much more apparent in women than it is men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives, and I do think that this is very important.  

I would like to thank all those women, from the Suffragettes onwards, who fought so hard to gain women's rights and to make the world a much better place for the women of today, although, unfortunately, there are still parts of the world (Afghanistan and the Middle East for example) where there is still a long way to go for women to be treated with the respect they deserve.

This post is also in honour of all the wonderful women out there who, like me, write a Blog.  These women really are the very best.  When I first joined the blogging community, I had no idea just how wonderful an experience it was going to be.  I feel that it has enriched my life, with 'talking' to these women from all parts of the world.  Women who are caring, generous, funny, supportive when we need a helping hand, and only too happy to celebrate in our good times as well.

Thank you each and every one!!