I am going to ask you all a very important question: Why do we need an International Women’s Day? Women comprise over half of the people in the world, so why do we get our own day as if we were a special subset of the population? Half of the population does not make us a special interest. So why this special celebration, just for women? Isn’t the whole “women thing” solved and so 1970s? These are questions that seem to come up every year when I, or others, write about it. When talking about women’s rights and equality, particularly in the United States, so many people, too many people, are quick to say, “Quit your whining!” But on this special day, please hear me out.
Despite being half of the population, women are half of precious else. Half the political leaders? Nope. Half of corporate executives? Forget it. Half of the decision makers in pop culture? Not even close. But I’m not being entirely fair. Women do comprise over half of the world’s population living in extreme poverty. Women are well over half of the victims of domestic abuse, violence, physical assault, and rape, and women represent a full two thirds of the 775 million illiterate adults in the world. Not exactly statistics worth celebrating. To be clear, this is not about having men be half of those horrible statistics, it is about making a world better for all. It is time to end…
Last fall I had the pleasure of meeting Molly Melching at the Women Moving Millions Summit in New York City, and it did not take long before I fell head over heels in love with this amazing woman. Melinda Gates once famously declared in reference to her first meeting with Molly: “I have not thought the same way about the work I do at the Gates Foundation since that day”, and I feel the same way way. I was so blown away that I immediately emailed Molly to ask if I could come visit her in Senegal, Africa, and I was honoured when she agreed. My daughter Allie and I are leaving for Senegal tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited to see Molly’s work up close and personal.
Molly is the Founder and Executive Director of Tostan, an NGO operating out of Senegal, Africa that is named after the Wolof word for “breakthrough”. What is so incredible about Molly and her work is how clearly she can articulate her theory of change, and how it drives everything they do. The key concept behind this theory of change is the idea that the solutions for any given problem facing a community should come from within the community itself. Now this may sound really, really, obvious, but an alarming amount of charitable resources are not allocated this way. Well intended funders and program officers create what they think…
Today is the first day of March and also the first day of Women’s History Month. The entire month of March will be dedicated to not only celebrating the accomplishments of incredible women, but also bringing forth both the opportunities and the challenges we face in achieving even greater gender balance. In the United States, Women’s History Month has its roots in International Women’s Day (March 8th), but it wasn’t until Congress passed a resolution in 1987 designating March as Women’s History Month that the current initiative was begun. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment”, and I can’t think of a better theme for this particular Women’s History Month, because it is a special one indeed.
On March 25th, 2014, Gloria Steinem is turning 80 years old, and I for one can’t wait to celebrate this incredible milestone. Gloria is a true pioneer in the quest for gender equality, and she has remained an eloquently vocal advocate for the advancement of women and girls for decades. A journalist, activist, and proud feminist, Gloria’s contributions to the social, political, and economic status of women cannot be overstated, and as a prominent leader of the feminist rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Gloria, along with her many other pioneering sisters, helped to pave the way for many of the rights and freedoms women often take for granted today. I am honoured and privileged to call Gloria a…
I am going to ask you all a very important question: Why do we need an International Women’s Day? Women comprise over half of the people in the world, so why do we get our own day as if we were a special subset of the population? Half of the population does not make us a special interest. So why this special celebration, just for women? Isn’t the whole “women thing” solved and so 1970s? These are questions that seem to come up every year when I, or others, write about it. When talking about women’s rights and equality, particularly in the United States, so many people, too many people, are quick to say, “Quit your whining!” But on this special day, please hear me out.
