International Women’s Day

It is International Women’s Day today so I wanted to share some thoughts about the status of we women and the hardships many of us still face.

As Michelle Obama said, ‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them’.

We as women have no option but to find strength in the face of adversity. The reality is, we work for free for 2 months every year due to the gender pay gap (according to research by the Trades Union Congress), childcare costs are extortionate across the board, often making a return to work after mat leave nonsensical leading to women becoming even more economically fragile than they are already. According to research via Oxfam GB, women are paid 24% less than men for the same jobs.

They also make up less than 24% of the world’s parliamentarians and 5% of its mayors which has a huge effect on policy making. 153 counties have laws which discriminate against women. I could go on and on.

I hope that by the time Florence and her brothers reach adulthood, they’ve inherited a different world to the one we live in. A world where women are no longer handed the short straw in the workplace and have the liberty of choice.

I am thinking of all the brave women today who are facing the unimaginable today, especially those and their families facing conflict.

I was raised by a strong woman, my life is bursting with strong women, my only wish is that one day, we perhaps might not need to exhibit as much strength.

Here’s to change and equality for our sake and our children’s. I hope today we can continue advocating for those women who need it the most, on International Women’s Day but also every day.