International Women's Day

I can't really tell you why but I'm feeling quite patronised by the fact that we still need a day for women.  I understand why it started, 101 years ago in post Victorian times there was clearly a need for a day focused on women, but now; really?

I have opportunities wherever I want them, and yes sometimes this might need me to be a go-getter but what's wrong with that?  I am not discriminated against; I'm not looked down upon; I don't need pity.

I am bringing up my daughter as a person rather than a girl (as opposed to be boy) in the hope that gender inequalities will never cross her mind. I want to let all the good work done by the suffragettes and feminist activists just be accepted; and this is harder when we have a 'special day'.

But then I am on twitter and I see Action Aid's 24 hour tweetathon which is shining a spotlight on some of the issues that women across the world still face today just because they are women; issues like violence, a lack of access to education and healthcare and even limited access to land.  



And then I realise that I am lucky, Rachel is lucky.  We live in a country where equality is accepted and assumed.  Huge swathes of the world do not have the same opportunities.

I eat my words, I put my short sighted views to bed and now I join the campaign to bring women ALL OVER THE WORLD into a state of equality with men.