International Women's Day

(I wrote this in 2011 and have to wonder if things have improved since then... )

International Women's Day 2011 marks 100 years of the ongoing struggle and increasing successes of women worldwide for DIGNITY, EQUALITY, SAFETY, and SECURITY.

The name - International Women's Day - usually makes me think of several different things and causes me to feel grateful for many different women. 

• Something about the wording always makes me think of "international women."  I am privileged to have many of them in my life - women from different countries, women who care about those from other countries, women who invest their lives for people around the world.  
• I also think of women who work tirelessly in serving other people and who make a difference in the world - and who make a difference in MY world.
• Then there are the women who have set examples for the rest of us in loosening gender restrictions.
• There are LOTS of women I think of that I appreciate for various reasons and who have touched my life in different ways.

These women have earned my admiration, my respect, and my gratitude. It has been my privilege to know many of them personally while others have inspired me from a distance or through their writings. My life has been blessed by the connection with so many mighty women - including several of you reading these words. 

The official reason for International Women's Day is to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future.  That future part grabs my heart - when I think of the conditions faced by women around the world today that are unbelievably getting even worse.  I've faced enough obstacles and discouraging words as a woman to have had my heart tenderized a bit, but what I've experienced is nothing compared to what other women deal with all the time.

Poverty is probably the most obvious problem for women here and abroad.  Economic disparity is one of the most blatant crimes against women, but that's perhaps just the tip of the iceberg.  Recently we've been reminded of the sexual harassment and assault that women face regularly in the middle east.  In many countries, girls and women are forced into slavery and suffer unimaginable horrors.  Even here at home, women are subjected to cruel treatment by the men in their lives, but at least we have the "public opinion" that women should be respected.  I think often of the Dalit women in India - lower than the lowest caste.  Dalits believe that God hates them and are convinced that they are worthless.  It is said that "the only thing worse than being born a Dalit is to be born a Dalit female."

Now that I am a grandma, I wonder what the world will be like for my grand-daughters as they grow up. We will let them know that they are precious and incredibly valuable but what messages will they receive to the contrary?  Will they live to see things get better for women?


...

There are things you and I can do to improve the plight of women - across the street and around the world.  Sometimes I just need to be reminded to look for those opportunities.  Let's not forget the ongoing struggle... of women worldwide for DIGNITY, EQUALITY, SAFETY, and SECURITY. 

How about you?
What will you do today, this week, to make the world a better place for women?