Okay, so I am a day late. It’s a woman’s prerogative.
International Women’s Day was yesterday. It is observed annually on March 8. The global day celebrates cultural, political, social and economic achievements of women. The day also is intended to bring international awareness to gender parity. According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality is estimated to be achieved by 2133.
Gender parity is defined as providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work and representation in political and economic decision-making processes.
So 2133 is 115 years from now. I can’t imagine celebrating International Women’s Day in 115 years. If we continue in the current direction, will there be a day dedicated to specifically women?
Having worked outside the home for many years during the rearing of my children, I am supportive of gender parity; equal pay for equal work, equal access to education, health care and political representation.
My family often has discussions about the progression of the Church. We are all deeply grateful for our roots and our tradition. We also see that the Church must progress. It must continue moving with technology and forward thinking. However, those things must be built on the foundation of the Church and on the foundation of Truth, that is never stagnant.
It is similar to the way I feel about International Women’s Day. We must always be moving forward in parity. But we must never forget the clawing, scratching, bleeding hands that brought us to this day.
For all of my life, I’ve had the honor and privilege of being surrounded by strong and beautiful women. My maternal grandmother worked harder than any woman I have known. Yet, she maintained her laughter and her femininity and her First Love. She deserved recognition. She deserved parity. She deserved to be honored at awards luncheons. She didn’t get any of those things. They were not within her reach. But she is the foundation on which I stand and the foundation on which every woman in her bloodline stands.
To my grandmothers and mother and mother-in-law and aunts and cousins and sisters and nieces and sisters in the Lord, thank you for showing me what it is like to be a honkin’ porterhouse steak and melting butter on a hot biscuit at the same time.
In the prophetic words of Rihanna: “Sometimes you gotta be a beauty and a beast.”
Every woman I know is a little bit of both. Now that, is parity.