I was too busy being a woman
This is not the post I intended for today.
I had a rather long and sticky piece queued up, on our (distinctly American, but continuously bleeding into the global community) wounded relationship with paid work; on how and why we labor for money.
It’s not NOT an appropriate topic for the day, but…
There are more important dots to connect.
I was reminded this morning, immediately upon beginning my 5:30a rounds through the intellectual garden of eden that is this platform, by the many wonderful calls to action by the women writers I follow. In particular, this invitation, by a literal superhero squad, known and admired by so many of us.
So, please pardon the appearance of any ramblings, grammatical missteps, half-baked ideas to follow. I’m writing this in haste, because I feel called – by the siren song of my community – to do so.
Let’s start with a little history, inspired by my own edification (also this morning!), and for the purpose of setting an accurate scene.
International Women’s Day, unlike the majority of ‘holidays’ designed to commemorate a people, movement, societal breakdown or tragedy, was borne by a singular German activist in response to a growing delegation of women calling for shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights:
In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands.
It bears repeating. ‘To press for their demands.’
I have to admit feeling a little hesitant to contribute much energy to the ‘celebration’ of this day… until reading those five words.
I’ve always been a little squeamish around the concept of devoting a single day, of the hundreds on the calendar and the thousands of an average human life, to the lip service-style admiration of something/someone that deserves so much more from us.
My thoughts around this day have been dismissive at best, and mostly resentful.
I have nothing against celebrations, rituals, holidays… I’m a happy sucker for all of the above and believe them to be crucial to our communal experience and overall enjoyment of life, to our collective and individual happiness.
Drawing attention to, amplifying a chorus of voices and their histories, is often one of our best mechanisms for bringing shape and context to a societal misalignment, whether it’s a tragic wrong or its result as an exquisite right.
A single day to revel around the contributions, progress, and vital nature of women in our world however has always seemed to me to be a pandering motion, an insincere compliment, an empty gesture that invites this: 😏
I thought this day was about wearing ribbons, an ‘o’ in Google changed to ♀ , trying to escape the onslaught of quotes, memes, cringy platitudes about goddesses and female superiority.
I thought this day was just another day. Until… today.
I’ve been busy, y’all. Too busy being a woman to give much thought to the origins of a holiday I had zero intention of celebrating. But I was intrigued, and if I’m being honest, felt a little FOMO when reading about all the gloriously talented women here who had their ‘daisy chain flower crown’ woven and ready to alight on their beautiful, big-brained noggins.
I wasn’t sure how I’d contribute, so I began where I often do—with research. And what I learned, what I will take with me from this day, this year, onward, is that there is an incitement to action here, and I am ALL ABOUT IT.
So then, this is me adding my voice, perhaps in a different way than most today, pressing for our demands.
We demand from our leaders, ourselves, each other:
Equality of Pay
In the fourth quarter of 2023 (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), women’s median weekly earnings were $1,031, or 83.8% of men’s median earnings of $1,231.
Equality of Opportunity
Women represent roughly one in four C-suite leaders, and women of color just one in 16.
Equality of Representation
According to the 2023 Gender Parity Index (GPI), women are underrepresented in the U.S. government, holding just one-third of all elected positions. This is despite women making up over 50% of the population.
Equality of Healthcare
There are actually too many disturbing statistics to pull from on this, so I’ll just direct you to this ‘invigorating’ report by the McKinsey Health Institute.
Equality of Respect
Despite gains in freedom and employment opportunities, research indicates women are experiencing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and sleep issues than before. A survey suggests that dissatisfaction with societal treatment may be a key factor.
(may be?!)
Equality of Time
Women spend an average 51.6 minutes a day (so often much more) caring for household children, other household members and non-household members, according to a recent study. If that time caregiving were compensated, it would be worth about $2,335.93 annually for men and $4,565.68 for women.
It’s not an exhaustive list, by any means, but if you’re a woman reading this, I have every ounce of faith that these are all distinct and recurring pain points for you. They certainly are for me.
I didn’t follow any of the wonderful prompts suggested by those who called us to this party, but this is most certainly my perspective, as a woman; in celebration of her sisters, historic and current, and herself.
I’m here, and this is my voice. We’re here, and the sound of our voices together is palpable, magical… an assertion of both presence and continued progress.
Our demands pressed, consistent and productive. Our world, infinitely better for it.
My deepest regards and gratitude to the aforementioned superwoman squad, for the daisy chains you weave every day:
Bree Stilwell 