This poster has been doing rounds at most social network. Today,
on 8th March, women celebrate its 101st International
women’s day, and I am still undecided whether to celebrate or despair. True,
that there is a history of struggle against inequality of gender and there has
been lot of improvement in the lifestyles of women over the years.
“The global gender gap defies simple solutions. Eighty-five per cent of countries have improved conditions for women over the past six years, according to the World Economic Forum, but in economic and political terms there is still a long way to go.”
As reported in ‘An Independent’ unearthing
some surprising results.
But what does an average,
common person feel?
I was in conversation with
some of my friends over the cup of coffee the other day and I casually asked
them how they would like to celebrate their women’s day.
“I would love to sit all
day doing nothing, not to worry about the food for the family or any other chores,
I need to relax real well” said one friend.
“I would like take my
husband and my children out with me because they complete me as a woman” said
another friend.
These women are the housewives
who morally support their husband and expect just recognition and respect for
the sacrifices that they make.
Many women are abused by
their spouse just out of habit and are shown disrespect, many a times taken for
granted. It’s only when they fall ill and husbands are inconvenienced, forced
to fend for themselves with simple chores as simple as super-marketing and
cooking, (which they are not used to) that they begin to realize the importance
of their women.
Women’s day is the day to
pause, take a deep breath and acknowledge their presence.
My friend says, “Women are
important part of this universe, therefore they must not only celebrate every
day of the year but there should also be one special day when they are to be
treated like a princess.”
Men were born to do hard work and create an easy life for women.
Men did basically
everything. They were sent as children to be trained as soldiers; they had
early marriage but wouldn’t live with their wives until they were 30-ish. Their
role was to provide military support, preach, own land or a business and just
about everything.
So what did women do?
Women’s role was to take
care of his assets while he was away, to oversee the smooth running of the
household, to pamper herself and to spin wool. The spinning of wool was a
central occupation, since the wool would be produced on their estates and
indicated a family’s self-sufficiency. Wealthy women spent lot of their time in
dressing and pampering themselves. Wealthy women wore jewels such as emeralds,
aquamarine, opal and pearls as earrings, necklaces, rings and sometimes sewn
onto their shoes and clothing. The success status of the men was judged by the
life style of their women.
In earlier times, wealthy
women traveled around the city in a litter carried by slaves. Women gathered in
the streets on a daily basis to meet with friends, attend religious rites or to
visit baths. The wealthiest families had private baths at home but most people
went to the bath houses not only to wash but also to socialize.
Wealthy women still enjoy
such luxuries but they now contribute more to the social and the economic
strata of the society. Remember they are earning too, they are independent
women, some of them earning more than their men.
As a woman, I believe that
everyone should pay attention to their own comfort first. It’s only when they
are healthy, physically and mentally, that they are able to give their best.
How many women go for
regular health-check up?
Last month, 350 women from
Mumbai and 150 women from Pune, took part in Car rally called ‘Lavasa Women’s Drive’ spreading the cervical Cancer awareness. Every seven minutes, one woman
dies of cervical Cancer. Many of the women were not even aware of its risk
factor, or the symptoms and the treatment of this disease. Women who took part
in this event attended work-shops and became more aware of this disease through
propaganda and discussions.
How many women are treated
with respect?
Some women are treated like
they don’t deserve a life. Violence against women is common. At least one in
every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in
their lifetime. Domestic violence, rape, trafficking of women has become a
global phenomenon where victims are exploited, forced into labor and subjected
to abuse. Many of the crime against women go uninvestigated and unpunished.
So kindly note…
Women were born to be
treated like a flower, with care and nourishment, to be worshipped and pampered.
They are your inspiration for writing poems and men must sing in adoration of
having them in their life, be it wife, mother or sister and even a friend.
Without women, there is no love, no poetry, no music. Let this woman’s day
remind you to treat her the way she deserves -The Goddess of Love
Happy Women’s day!!
