International Women’s Day 2022
I grew up in the 1990’s and looking back I realise that my parents were a little ahead of the trend regarding gender equality. My Mum certainly championed other women to be themselves, be true to their compass and dream of a bigger and brighter future. They didn’t get everything right, but parents rarely always do? However, they broke the mould when they let me, a young woman from the East End of Glasgow follow her dreams of becoming a ‘rock star’, tour the world solo and live for a time in parts of Europe, experiencing life, love and all the fortune, epic drama and many misfortunes that went along with it over 15 years.
Why is this important? It’s important because they believed that I was everything I needed to be as a strong independent woman to meet all of the challenges along the way, and that when it was time I would come home, perhaps a little scarred, but so much stronger and with stories to tell. Stories to share. Stories to pass along and encourage others.
We don’t all have support, encouragement, or belief in us as women from an early age, and that’s why it is critically important that we all seek to empower the women in our lives so that they have an opportunity to flourish, grow and pass on their lived experience stories that might just inspire that little girl to shine.
Women are inspirational. I make it my personal responsibility to take care of the women in my life, to ‘check-in’ and to champion them, to spoil them a little when they need a pick-me-up and to support them when the going is tough. I also make it my mission as a woman in this ever evolving, fast-paced and challenging world to hold a candle in the dark for the women whom I don’t have a close personal relationship with. I want to hold myself accountable to them also. We are all one community. We must show kindness, tolerance and compassion.
As women, we can’t put the onus solely on men to treat us better. Of course, there are disparities and desperate situations in which we must as a society do better to #breakthebias and end gender gaps in everything from education and employment to instances domestic and sexual crime. This is unnegotiable.
However, as women on this International Women’s Day, we need to champion each other to improve inclusivity and engagement, community, and values, bringing about an end to discrimination and stereotyping for all.
Be kind to each other. Look after all women on International Women’s Day 2022, from the little girls who have just arrived to the women who are wiser than most of us could ever hope to be and beyond…
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