“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy International Women's Day for March 8th. We absolutely must celebrate half the human race - however that half is not exactly getting its equal share, even now, according to the UN. The United Nations presented its overview this week and it shows a sobering lack of progress, indeed we’re going backwards: “The review of women’s rights shows that despite some progress, no country has achieved gender equality”, said UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. “Only half is an equal share and only equal is enough”, she stressed. Here are the major points:

·         *  Over the past 20 years, progress on women’s access to paid work has ground to a halt as they continue to shoulder the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work – less than two thirds between the ages of 25-54 are in the labour force.

·       *    Nearly one-in-five women have faced violence from an intimate partner in the past year, fuelled by new technology, such as through cyber-harassment, for which policy solutions are largely absent.

·        *  Some 32 million girls are still not in school.

·       *    Men still control three-quarters of parliamentary seats.

·        *   Women are largely excluded from peace processes. 

“The review of women’s rights shows that despite some progress, no country has achieved gender equality”, said the UN Women’s Executive Director. Even so, the UN statement  tried to show some optimism, saying that: despite unprecedented global challenges, the report also proves that positive change is possible, by citing feminist movements globally; illustrating the success of women’s collective actions for accountability on crimes against them; and showcasing successful initiatives in scaling up public services to meet women’s rights – from increasing access to contraception and childcare, to reducing domestic violence and increasing women’s participation in politics and peace building.

… Yet haven’t we been calling for, striving for, having meetings about, writing books about, shouting about these improvements, this kind of Women’s Equality since before the first wave of Feminism when the Suffragettes took to the streets demanding an equal vote? What, I wonder, is holding half the human race back? Hmmm?

“We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.” – Malala Yousafzai

“Only half is an equal share and only equal is enough”

“Only half is an equal share and only equal is enough”

Really simple: Women deserve an equal share

                         Women demand an equal share - on this and everyday, worldwide.