Women’s Day

What does it mean to be a woman?

It’s probably one of the most loaded questions you can ask in this century, with increasing awareness of different identities and beliefs. It’s International Women’s Day, so what better time to explore this?

When I think about women and why we have a specific day and what relevance it holds, I naturally compare this to men. Why are women discussed more frequently in the media, or more negatively?

I think the reason that women’s rights movements and talk of female solidarity are popular are because women became political. Women and their bodies and their rights have become politicised as well as over-sexualised, and in tandem, we’ve seen resistance to this through messages and campaigns of empowerment over raising awareness of historically taboo issues like period poverty.

The reason why International Women’s Day is relevant is because women still suffer mistreatment based on their gender. And messages in society and in the media reinforce these outdated notions on what a woman is capable of and where she belongs. You can see today, with different countries affording different rights to women, relating to education and driving. This isn’t something you would see implemented for men.

Women are often overlooked in every sector and yet the most unappreciated. International Women’s Day reminds us of the progress that we’ve achieved but also how much we still have to work on. If we are sure that gender is no longer a barrier, why are women not represented in politics? We are still yet to have a female President of the USA, the supposed leader of the free world. On the reverse of this, Pakistan has had a female PM but is still very much a patriarchal society.

Women are incredible - but the lack of opportunities stops us from proving our capabilities. This lack is linked to a systemic issue - society still doesn’t accept that women can be many things at once.

This International Women’s Day - I remember the formidable women I have come across in my friends, my teachers, my colleagues, and my family. In particular, my Great Aunt, who would always stand up for herself and her siblings in a generation that believed that men were essential for leading the family. May God rest her soul.

The author at a recent event she planned, assisted by brilliant women

*Image taken by author's friend, all rights reserved 

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