International Women's Day

On March 8, we are celebrating International Women's Day. To actually have to have an International Women's Day in 2011 is kind of sad. You'd think Women would be considered equal by now. I mean it IS the 21st century, isn't it? Of course we were supposed to have flying cars by now, as well.

Wouldn't it be nice if we women were so rooted in the main stream that we didn't need a day set aside to call attention to celebrate "the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future." as they state on the International Women's Day 2011 website found here: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

IWD started in 1911 and thanks to the multi media world we live in, it will probably make its biggest impact this year. Celebs, editors, bloggers, and politicians are getting on board to promote women's rights and make people aware that we, as women, STILL do not have equal rights to education, employment, health care. Women still are victims of sex trafficking, genital mutilation, (and)gender based violence, which according to Oxfam "causes more death and disabilities among women of childbearing age than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined."

Annie Lennox is walking over the Millennium Bridge in London tomorrow in support of equal rights and so are millions of women around the world, each to a bridge in their own cities and towns.


Tina Brown, editor of The Daily Beast has just taken over Editorial duties at Newsweek and has put Hillary Clinton on the cover. Why?

"because her long-held conviction has always been that women are the leading indicator. That if you empower women, you’re gonna make huge changes in the democracy movement and, of course, in the GDP of the countries concerned. And she’s been pounding that drum for a long time."

From the Independant comes this. "Egyptian activists have called for a "Million Women March" tomorrow after accusing the military government of forgetting about the role of women in the uprising and maintaining a "backward" political system dominated by men.

Organisers of the march say that political changes being introduced by Egypt's Higher Military Council, which assumed power after the toppling of Hosni Mubarak last month, will entrench patriarchal systems of power which have dominated the region for years. "They are forgetting about women's role in the revolution," said Dina Abou El-Soud, a 35-year-old hostel owner who is helping organise the march. "I think it is because of the culture and how it used to be here."

Let's hope those last six words prove prophetic. 

          "how it used to be here."