International Women's Day

It is true that several days have passed on this occasion but this cause is an everlasting one not restricted by specific dates or events. This post has been co-written by both contributors of this blog; ZiZi Omeirat and Jad Hamdan.

Her point of view:

It is not a day on which wives, girlfriends, daughters and moms receive gifts (we have special days for that) but a day on which we look at the position of women in the world 100 years ago, the progress they have accomplished and the things that still need to be done! It was 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights; and this is how the movement began. Year after year, more women cooperated with each other and marched towards the call of their freedom and equal rights until March 8th was declared an international day for women!

But it seems that after the year 2000 the wheel has stopped or at least slowed down. It is true that now women constitute a more active category than before through their emergence to the field of work and politics etc. but that’s not enough. There are still a lot of women in the world deprived from their basics rights with no laws protecting them. Recall for example:

•Unemployment just because they are females

•Lower salaries just because they are females

•The need for their husbands’ permission to get a passport

•Do you know that Article 209 of country X’s Constitution states that woman's life is valued only half as much as a man's life? (yeah believe that)

•Do you know that article 522 of the Lebanese Penal Code cancels prosecution of the rapist if a marriage is offered to the victim? What a way to encourage the man to abuse a woman and force her to marry him!

•And what about nationality laws, social compensation laws and many other?

With all that it is weird to see a lot of people who still don’t know about this day and don’t appreciate it! Well, all what I can say is that not giving women the rights and opportunities they deserve is a fear of the powers and capabilities they have!

His point of view:

In addition to the above, without any kind of disagreement with what women should have in terms of rights and everything. Some men still cannot acknowledge a woman as an active person in life, they consider her more like a gadget or, dare I say, a means to an end (the end being reproduction). But, on the other hand, a lot of women take that right of being equal and drive it to the extreme!

If you open up a door for her: “Hey!! I have hands to do that for myself”

If you pick up the check: “We are in 2011 dude!! I work and I can pay for myself!”

You know what I mean, with many other examples… Feminism is an amazing initiative that gave women a lot of their lost rights, whether they were lost due to some twisted religious explanation, or just based on a certain “sick” tradition that got stuck into some men heads!

The point is to seek equality, justice and respect for women, but never similarity.