Women have long been seen, and treated, as the weaker sex in need of protection and the strength of a ‘good man’.
And we allow this to be perpetuated with all the silly rules and days we cling to, to keep us feeling good about ourselves!
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries women, particularly in Britain and the USA, fought to have the notion of women as the weaker sex demolished.
They would not stand idly by as men made the laws that dictated their lives, nor would they tolerate a world in which men would dictate everything about women’s lives and bodies – bra’s, hemlines, corsets, choice of the government or the rules they used to govern.
Instead they took to the streets as part of the Suffrage (right to vote) movement, chaining themselves to railings and burning mailboxes in protest of a rule of law which saw them as second class citizens.
The Suffragettes were particularly vocal in England where, after marching through the streets proclaiming ‘no vote no tax’, ‘free the female body’ and ‘a fearless indomitable womanhood, a fearless indomitable race’ many of them found themselves in Holloway Prison being force-fed if they dared go on a hunger strike.
And they would have been ashamed at where we are today.
A staunch activist, Emily Davison was jailed nine times and force-fed 49 times while trying to secure her human rights.
I am sure that when she stepped in front of King George V’s horse Amner at the Epsom Derby on June 5, 1913, resulting in injuries which caused her death four days later, she believed that long before 2013 her sacrifice would see women not only liberated, but being treated as any man’s equal.
Instead, 100 years later, women are still relying on the belief that they are the weaker sex to get what they want or think is their due.
Women should be treated as men’s equals so, at the risk of offending all the women out there, I’m just going to ask: “what is the point of Women’s Day and what silly twerp thinks Russia’s new proposed law is anything other than laughable?”
Women’s Day is a pointless public holiday which serves only to decrease the country’s productivity and hamper the economy.
Being a woman is no great achievement or miracle – neither is being born a man – it’s just the luck of the draw.
There’s no Men’s Day to honour them which begs the question: “Are we, as women, too weak to get through an entire year devoid of a public holiday in our honour?”
Here’s the kicker – if no one respects or honours you on the other 364 days of the year, they certainly aren’t going to start in those 24 hours. Rather every man will be enjoying the time off work – honouring his beer and his favourite sport, live if possible.
And why should we rely on the government to dictate a day on which others should revere us? Are we, in fact, too weak to command respect from our peers and love from our families.
If your kids don’t like you today, they certainly won’t like you anymore tomorrow, even if it is Women’s Day.
Last week the world was aflutter with talk of the new law proposed in Russia which give women two paid leave days a month to deal with their periods.
Does this mean that women who have had hysterectomies, gone through menopause or are pregnant would have to forfeit these days?
Like men, they would have no legitimate claim to these leave days, but that would constitute discrimination. If women are going to get an extra 24 days leave a year, why shouldn’t it be applied to all women?
Secondly, when you are ill, your employer has the right to request proof, usually in the form of a sick note if they decide you’re ‘pulling a fast one’.
What proof would an employer require to allow a woman to take these days – no doctor is going to give you a sick note, if you are even prepared to pay over R300 just to get booked off.
There simply isn’t any civil or polite way of asking for or receiving proof that it’s ‘that time of the month’.
Thirdly, what happens in offices like ours where the women to men ration is … 13:1. Yes folks, one man! The reason I ask this question refers to the point above.
What would happen if the entire staff decided, on the same day, they just felt like cuddling up in bed on a freezing winter’s day with a cup of hot chocolate? Blame it on the period!
Would our poor man be left, all on his own, perhaps on a Monday when our paper is on deadline, to do it all himself?
It’s simply the most ridiculous thing I have heard. Never mind the logistics of all your staff deciding to take the same Monday off, what would happen to the country’s productivity and economy.
It seems silly to worry about the economy in the face of such a brilliant idea, but the fact remains that if, say in a factory, each woman is productive for 24 days less per year – that’s a great deal of product not being produced and therefore a great deal of product not being sold – be it in the country or through export.
The bottom line is a poorer bottom line.
Finally, if a government is going to offer staff an additional 24 days a year leave, it really should be for all workers – not just those of child-bearing ability – and it should be annual leave to be taken whenever you want, as consecutive days.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas in foreign climes and I could really do with the extra leave so if women really do feel they should be seen and treated as the weaker sex, then pile it on – I’ll see you sometime in February when I return from my December hols abroad.
