Last week was a celebration of the internal strength, power and wisdom women have as equals to our male counterparts, as International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8th.
We’ve come a long way baby…if we review where we have been and where we are now, but we still have a ways to go, especially when it boils down to equal pay for equal work.
In an article ‘You've Come a Long Way, Baby. But It's Still a Man's Game’ written by Catherine Maddux online here, it says, “If you were alive and in America in 1968, you might remember the phrase “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby…” that was an advertising slogan for a brand of cigarettes… as a symbol of women's empowerment.”
For life in this century, we may not grasp a type of cigarette as a symbol of women’s empowerment but in that day, it was just another stepping stone in the fight for women to make a mark in the world.
I ponder on a number of influential women who have made their mark in history but also at the same time wonder what their motive was for doing what they did. I personally don’t think money was as big of a deal as it is now in the fight for equality. These women of the past were brilliant, stood up for their human and civil rights and changed the world in many different capacities.
Marie Curie’s discovery of radioactivity launched effective cures for cancer.
African American Rosa Parks stood up and challenged race segregation by refusing to give up her seat on a bus so that a white person could sit down. This event sparked the civil rights movement which, in the 1960s, eventually won equal rights.
Florence Nightingale, a British military nurse tended to the sick and wounded on the battlefields during the Crimean War and was instrumental in establishing a permanent military nursing service and implementing improvements to the army medical services.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, “venerated by both Christians and Muslims”, is said to be “probably the most famous woman in history.” https://www.historyextra.com/100-women/100-women-results/
One of my favourites with as big a heart as any woman who has been or will be, Mother Teresa, an Albanian Roman Catholic nun who lived in India for most of her life took vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and free service to the poorest of the poor. Her charitable work changed the lives of many of the most vulnerable people in the world.
When I ponder ‘women in the limelight’ in this 21st century, my vision is rather blurred not seeing any that I presently would even like to emulate.
My context of women that have and continue to make a difference in my life are those that I know personally. My mother wasn’t perfect by any means but her motherly love and the life lessons she taught and her faith in God continue to inspire me long after she is gone.
My Auntie Helen was an angel in disguise and her love and caring for her family and siblings, their offspring and the special memories we shared as cousins during family celebrations such as Christmas and Easter at her house still resonate “the love of family.” She loved and gave so unconditionally; my hope is that I follow in her footsteps and have the same imprint on the special lives around me. My sisters and sister-in-laws are remarkable women too who I highly respect because they are all women of integrity. My bond with them goes deeper than blood.
So, as we celebrate women, let’s not lose sight of the individual mark a woman can make in the lives around them, even if they don’t win an Oscar, make a discovery or fly to the moon.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
