Last Tuesday, March 8th, was the day when the media outlets put out a big "huzzah" for the women all over the world as we celebrated International Women's Day.
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I mean, yay for us, but what, exactly, were we supposed to be celebrating? I thought I'd come up with a list of possible reasons for this auspicious holiday:
• Here's Your Consolation Prize: Sure, you're still paid less than men, but you now have a day that's all your own.
• It's Nice to Be Appreciated: Once a year is better than nothing.
• It's Too Hard to Get the ERA Passed: The Equal Rights Amendment may be DOA, so by golly, there must be something we can do to show we care about half our population.
Before the guys I know read this (if any of you are still reading), know I'm not launching a personal attack. I've been blessed with the men in my life, from my husband who was a stay-at-home dad and raised our son, to my kid who has turned into a wonder and treats women with respect and kindness. Plus my Facebook friends, who wouldn't be my friends if they were assholes to women.
I just don't understand why we need to invent a day to honor women. Shouldn't we just take care of each other every day? The fact that women's dads provided them with two X chromosomes instead of an X and Y seems a sad reason for a holiday.
International Women's Day is part of Women's History Month, an opportunity to recognize female achievements over the course of our existence.
Which brings up another question: Shouldn't women's history be part of the history we teach our children? Why do we need to separate history into categories? Will we ever get to a point where our history goes beyond our founding fathers to include all of the different genders and races that make America the crazy quilt it is today?
Oh well. A girl can dream, I guess.
I'll just mark my calendar for Mother's Day.
It, too, may be just one day. But at least I get presents.
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