It's International Women's Day!
I know some people might be wondering why is there such a fuss about Women's day, I think personally it's important to pause and take in how far women have come and celebrate that. We are so laser-focused on surviving, living or even enjoying the privileges of equality that we forget the cost it took us to get here. A world where women can be recognized on their merit, have financial freedom, have reproductive rights, can choose not to get married, can own a business, can choose to get a divorce, amongst other things.
Whilst the fight still goes on for true equality globally, it is important to take stock of how far we have come.
The older I get, the more I realize the world is not always kind to women in so many subtle ways in the Western world. However, having read history and recognized that even as of 2023, there are only 14 countries in the world that legally recognize equality between men and women. Source: World Economic Forum. (Unfortunately, the country I was born in - Nigeria, is not one of them). We must celebrate progress and how far we have come. For context, it is quite unfortunate that, that even in this day and age with the wealth of information and awareness that we have today, there are still only 14 countries that fully recognize the equality of men and women. Hopefully this puts in perspective how difficult this journey has been and understand why every milestone must be celebrated and why International Women's Day is important.
The theme for this year is #InspireInclusion . This is a cause close to my heart as the principle of inclusion has quite literally, decided the course of my career. Thankfully I work in a place that is incredibly passionate about ensuring ALL employees have equal rights and opportunities. Resources are chosen based on their skillset and merit, with nothing to do with their gender. I have thrived much more than I have in the past because of this environment and now more than ever, I fully recognize how important it is everyone is afforded the same opportunity.
We live in a world where discrimination exists both in ways that are quantifiable and not quantifiable. It exists in places that we would not even imagine it does, especially for women of color. In the hospitals, in being able to rent an apartment (in Nigeria, for example, a woman will find it extremely hard to rent an apartment on her own in the urban cities) in world-class organizations, and as morbid as it sounds, even in the morgues. (There are female corpses subject to sexual abuse as well)
As we celebrate this milestone, we must instill in those around us and the upcoming generation, how important it is, that inequality becomes a thing of the past, and that we live in a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. We must strive for a world that is diverse equitable and inclusive, a world where difference is valued and celebrated (source: International Women's Day)
To wrap up, I say this, to the Women who have come before us and conquered, to the Women who are present with us, persevering and advocating for the best, and to the Women who are coming behind us and showing us why it is important to live in a world that understands inclusion and equality. Cheers to you all for because of us all, the world is a better place.
Happy International Women's day!