Well, I had such a busy (and wonderful!) International Women's Day that I didn't get a chance to post anything until now. Just wanted to say happy IWD to all of you, and let us take this week as an opportunity to reflect on the hard work and incredible achievements of our feminist foremothers, and also consider the hard work that lies ahead. Violence against women and girls is still pervasive in Canada and all over the world. Women still earn less than men but perform the majority of the world's work. Women and girls are hypersexualized, degraded and objectified through our media and expected to conform to an increasingly pornographized standard of beauty. Women experience oppression on the basis of sex, gender, class, race, ethnicity, indigeneity, ability, sexual orientation, age, language, geography, political affiliation, citizenship status and religion. Through our taxes, we are made to pay for a war machine created by a handful of extremely privileged men in order to profit from the destruction of life. Regressive policies in our country make the prospect of affordable childcare and affordable housing seem like a distant dream, unless there is serious political change.
The 100th anniversary of International Women's Day marks an important time for women in history. It is a time to celebrate our strenghts and diversity, and to move forward with great courage, clarity and (com-)passion. To quote the Hopi elders, "We are the ones we have been waiting for."
Betsy
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