I have been thinking about International Women’s day for months, what I wanted to say and what it means to me.
International Women's Day (IWD) is a worldwide event that celebrates women's achievements, from the political to the social, whilst calling for gender equality.
It has been observed since the early 1900s and is now recognised each year on March 8. The theme for IWD 2017 is “Be Bold for Change” - encouraging people to step up and take ground breaking action to help drive gender equality.
It is difficult to say when IWD actually began, but its roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours. These women were truly trailblazers in my opinion.
We all in our own way, I believe, work to strive for equality and “fairness” in all areas of our lives and this got me thinking about what inspires me about women and why I am proud to be one.
There are certain qualities that unify the women I call my friends, family members, and those I have revered through history. The traits that set these women apart are their determination, persistence and above all fearlessness.
We have seen incredible women throughout history like Rosa Parks - America Civil Rights Activist, Emmeline Pankhurst - leader of the British suffragette movement, Marie Curie – physicist and chemist; and in recent years - Malala Yousafzai - Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate.
Whilst I was never big on history at school, reading about these women’s lives and the ardent commitment they gave to their causes – well, these women are true icons in my view. Women I am in awe of.
Whilst the courage and fearlessness of these women and many others have gone down in history – I look around and see that incredible women surround me in all areas of my life.
In fact I would say hands down my closest friends are forces to be reckoned with, in a really good way.
I have friends who have raised their children alone after divorce, retrained and gone back to work after over a decade because they needed to support their families.
I have aunts, In India, who have given up their own goals to raise their families, keep them safe and nurse terminally ill relatives.
This isn’t a “mother” love-in – I know fearless women who chose not to have children, absolutely their right - and have done wonderful philanthropic things with their lives – with commitment, dedication and authenticity. Some have even ended up as stepmothers – not part of their initial life plan but dealt with the unknown challenges with wisdom and grace.
I am lucky enough to know women who even when they are low, brought to their knees through adversity – get back on their feet – roll their sleeves up and keep going. Their walks and talks are perfectly aligned and I find that so empowering and inspiring.This not me regaling about how women are better than men, I might joke that women are the more superior race – but truth be told – we need each other and work best side by side, in harmony.
And in case you didn’t know International Men’s Day is on November 19 each year and is celebrated in 60 countries around the world. The objective is to focus on men's and boy's health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models.
But today is International Women’s Day. Women who embody authenticity, commitment and fearlessness live all around me; they inspire me and propel me to be better and I hope in my small way I can do the same.
Happy international Women's day!