This past Saturday marked International Women’s Day, which for me marked a day of reflection, celebration and pride respective of the strides that women all over the world have made, and an indicator of the work we have to come.
In some ways, it’s easy for me to relate the global status of women’s issues to the local status of women’s issues. Women’s current position in society reminds me of an overriding theme from The Women’s Foundation’s work, the fact that (in relation to The Portrait Project’s data on the Washington metropolitan region) there are two sides to our story.
Despite our huge successes and landmark achievements economically, socially, and politically, there’s another, darker side that shows a disheartening outlook on women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan region. Though single, women-headed households make up a majority of households in our region, many women’s wages barely keep them and their families afloat. In addition, we are more vulnerable than men in terms of obtaining affordable, quality child and health care, and jobs that pay a living wage with room for professional advancement.
Similarly, all over the world, we see the stark contrast of women making huge strides, and women barely getting by.
Right now in the U.S., New York Senator Hillary Clinton is in what some would call a neck and neck race with the other Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama.
The proportion of women enrolled in college has long exceeded the rate of men. (I’m not saying it’s good that more women than men are pursuing higher education, but it’s refreshing to see an increasing number of females who want to advance past a high school degree and further themselves intellectually).
Last year, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Internationally, last summer, France’s Presidential elections were shaken up by Sègolène Royal. She didn’t win, but it sure was refreshing to see women work their way towards positions of increased power.
Last October, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner became Argentina’s first female democratically elected president.
All in all, one can say that we are doing pretty well. There are so many confident, proud feminists who are empowering our families and therefore our communities. We’re doctors, lawyers, human rights activists, professors, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, TV producers, leaders in religious institutions, CEOs, leading political figures.
Of course, women have historically made contributions and strides in these areas, but didn’t receive due credit and/or support to continue. We’ve always had women who were successful in academia and medicine.
On the other hand, one can also say that we are in pretty bad shape.
In terms of health, and the same arenas that we are making strides in–socially, economically, and politically. We’re fighting to retain our reproductive rights and affirmative action programs, and we’re waging battles against eating disorders, chronic homelessness, mental health disorders, workplace discrimination, sexism, sexual violence, sex trafficking, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, etc.
The list of struggles and obstacles, unfortunately, goes on and on.
Here’s where my happiness about Saturday came into play. On Saturday, International Women’s Day, I knew that globally, women were taking a calculated look at all of our accomplishments to date, and especially our ills, and looking at remedies.
So, what did women in different parts of the world do? Here’s a tiny snapshot of what went on abroad:
In Istanbul, Turkey, women took to the streets in multiple rallies and participated in events celebrating their work.
In Bern, Switzerland, female protesters used images to capture our minds and highlight the increasing problem of sex trafficking.
Thankfully, as the list of ills goes on and on, so does the list of places celebrating International Women’s Day. Click here to see what cities all over the world did to reflect upon our progress and implement strategies to overcome our obstacles.
As I said earlier, The Women’s Foundation’s running theme of the two sides of the story ring true to me in terms of women’s status locally and internationally. The title of Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Democratic National Convention speech, “A Tale of Two Cities,” seems fitting to think about right about now. It’s a different time, but the same problems prevail.
When we look over the hill of progress, we still have so much work to do.
I’m glad we have so many dedicated nonprofits working locally to implement solutions that help women and help women help their families, such as those supported by The Women’s Foundation.
Most recently, The Women’s Foundation’s Leadership Awards recognized local nonprofits working innovatively to proactively improve the health and safety of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan region.
As I reflect on Saturday, I see hope and promise for our future if we continue to invest, as women, into our own wellbeing.
That said, happy Women’s History Month!
Sherell Fuller is a former staff member of The Women’s Foundation.
