In recent years, women have made great strides in this world, and rightfully so that those steps forward are honoured every year on 9 August. Clearly we don’t need a holiday to pay homage to the women of our homeland; to commemorate the ongoing strength and courage of our wives and our mothers, our sisters and our daughters; because women are so amazingly awesome that we should be celebrated each and every day.
Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate the achievements of women from all walks of life, across the political, social and cultural fields, and it is great to have a day to value the effort made by prior generations in the battle for gender equality. Each year come August, we are inundated with touching narratives of thriving business women who are able to showcase remarkable achievements, and each year I hope that someone like you, and someone like me could be celebrated.
Yes, it’s essential to commemorate the major successes of the women in our society, but most of our realities are less glamorous and aeons away from the Women’s Day celebrity A-list. We work and remain unseen, some work three jobs to put food on the table, and remain overlooked. Several are without a voice – denied access to basic education, forced into child marriage, raped, or lives with domestic violence. Others lack a safe home, family planning facilities and career opportunities. Some are disregarded based on ethnicity, or simply can’t foot the bill when it comes to society’s beauty standards. Us girls equate to half the human race, and everywhere we face obstacles in pursuit of realising our potential. It means that the rest of society all miss out on what we can offer them. Equality for women means progress for all!
So, if you’re after an inspiring woman who should be celebrated this Women’s Day, then look no further than your neighbour. Forget about the pageantry, and recognise the ladies we meet up with in our daily lives, and let’s think about why so many of us struggle to get along in this world. Use Women’s Day to reflect on the choices we make as a society and in person, and how we all can give just a little extra toward a more just world. And that, dear readers, is exactly what Women’s Day is all about. Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them!
