Woman - You Got The Power

Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity...
If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior...
If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women...
~ Mahatma Gandhi

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It might be over for some of you.. but it's still March 8th here (in this part of the world, where I live), hence I am not late to post it..
Let me say it first (out loud) - Happy Women's Day Ladies

According to me (and I know many of you would agree), all us daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, grandmothers out there deserve more than one day. They actually deserve the whole year dedicated to them!

The first International Women's Day was held in 1911, but it was international only in the technical sense that women in four European nations marched. These activists were ahead of their time in thinking about women's economic and political equality; they may not have been so far ahead of their time that they envisioned what it has come to mean for many of us today.

Now, International Women's Day represents a movement that is for every woman and girl, no matter where they live.
When I try to imagine the future, I am optimistic because I see women demanding information and opportunities in the face of social norms that say they're not permitted to do so. I'm also optimistic because no matter where I go, people ask me, "What can I do to help?"

To me, this is why marking International Women's Day is important. It's a chance for so many people to move beyond "celebrating" and take action to create meaningful and sustainable change for women and girls.

While to date, there have been many improvements on women’s legal rights, women around the world are still suffering inequalities in their access to resources, education, as well as legal and political rights. While women comprise half of Palestinian society, their participation in household decisions, and economic, public, and political life does not reflect the same proportion.

• Leadership and Participation -  Women are every bit as affected as any man by the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century -- in economic and social development, as well as in peace and security. Often, they are more affected. It is, therefore, right and indeed necessary that women should be engaged in the decision-making processes in all areas, with equal strength and in equal numbers.
• An urgent first step is to make much greater progress on the education of girls. It is not acceptable that over 50 million girls of primary age worldwide are still not at school.

• Domestic Violence against women and girls is widespread in all societies. In situations of armed conflict, women are frequently raped or used as sexual slaves in complete impunity. We also need to recognize that ending violence against women and girls is not only the responsibility of the State. It also requires a change of mindset. It requires us to demonstrate, once and for all, that there are no grounds for tolerance and no tolerable excuses. If we are going to stop violence against women and girls – we must begin by speaking out. We must ensure that women and girls enjoy their basic human rights without discrimination. Criminal impunity must end. Every crime must be prosecuted.

• Women’s Empowerment – It must be supported through effective access to justice and critical resources. Women cannot resist violence if they lack the political, economic, social and cultural rights to enable them to protect themselves against abuse, sue the perpetrators for compensation or seek other civil remedies. Women that cannot exercise their right to adequate housing, land, property and inheritance, for instance, will often not dare to denounce a violent husband or influential family member, knowing that such an action will most probably make them homeless. There is also a need to examine and act upon some of the structural causes of violence against women such as poverty, marginalization and discrimination.

• Gender Equality – It is not only a goal in its own right; it is critical to our ability to reach all the others. Study after study has shown that there is no effective development strategy in which women do not play a central role. When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier and better fed; their income, savings and reinvestment go up. And what is true of families is also true of communities and, in the long run, of whole countries.

Across all levels of society, we need to see a deep social revolution that transforms relationships between women and men, so that women will be able to take greater control of their lives -- financially as well as physically.

Women are the pillars not only of the family, but also of society as a whole. Women’s a day is a day to recognize the vital role of women in society and the economy around the world.