As a new age feminist it is undoubtedly appropriate that I bring
up the fact that it is International Women’s Day and talk about what this day
means to myself and many other women around the world.
I often get asked “What about International Man’s day?” and
I feel a certain ailment to the idea that we would have a day dedicated to
women, after all we live in a society where everybody is treated equally, man
or woman, black or white, gay or straight. The idea of discrimination in
Australia is governed by countless laws, policies and procedures. So why is it
that we have a day that is fundamentally dedicated to women?
Firstly this is not the rising new feminist movement where
women are rallying together to overpower the male species and constitute their independence
through extravagant acts such as bra burning and mass protests. It is not the
60’s after all (and quite frankly the whole bra-burning saga was largely exaggerated
through the media to create this long running stereotype that we now know as ‘the
feminist’). International Women’s Day is a day about bringing awareness to the
scope of equality in this world, specifically gender equality.
We all have dreams and strive to fit into this world in some
way shape or form. For some of us this is made easy by the support of those
around us, directly or indirectly. For others these aspirations come with enormous
obstacles.
For a long time women have been fighting for equal rights in
society, from the right to vote, to the right for equal pay, to the right to elevate
all forms of discrimination against women. These are the things that our
mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers fought for with more determination
than we could ever imagine because I’m sure that nothing ever got achieved in
those days by signing a petition on change.org.
So thanks to those strong, resilient generations of women
before me I am lucky enough to have been born into an era where my voice can be
heard. I have choices that many people do not have and I have support from so
many aspects of life. It is now my turn to fight for and bring awareness to
those who are still fighting for their basic rights in society. For the Saudi
Arabian woman’s right to drive, for the Pakistani woman’s right to an
education, for the Papua New Guinean woman’s right not to be subjected to
domestic violence, for the Indian woman’s right to marry who she chooses. These
are the reasons why on International Woman’s Day I will stand up for the women of
this planet and help work towards alleviating gender equality indefinitely.
No longer are we man-hating, hairy, bra-burning feminists,
we are just women giving the world a better future.
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