International Women’s Day is for Men Too.
I struggle with International Women’s Day for one reason. I really want to know why more men don’t participate?
The statistical results here in North America around the voting during the 2016 presidential election show of the men who voted, 53% of them (more than women) did so for the current Republican candidate, and most of those men are 40 years of age and over. Younger generations of men, under the age of 40 overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic presidential candidate.
So I am curious about what International Women’s Day means to men in the world. Do you feel that you can come and participate? That you are welcome to come to the luncheons, the talks, and events? Do you feel that you can wear red and have strike action on this day? I looked around the room at the events where I was and it was overwhelming female (as it is every year) and while this is fantastic and the energy and the vibe is good. What I felt was really lacking was the presence of men in the conversation.
International Women’s Day was established in 1909 for us to have these conversations about women’s rights and we have been having them for millennia. But only half the population is having these conversations. So I am reaching out to the men in my world to ask, what did you do today for International Women’s Day? How did you celebrate women today? And do you not feel that these luncheons, these talks, and the events that are planned for today, that are also planned for you too?
This is a big invitation to men to be part of the IWD conversation next year because it affects you too. If we do not honor and respect the ways of women in our world then that impacts how men and boys can be as well. Social and emotional intelligence is not just the dominion of women, it is also the dominion of men. It is not purely a biological gendered intelligence.
Also, your children are watching. You nieces and nephews. Kids at schools are watching to see who is participating, who is making a stand and they are learning who is part of the conversation. Do you have a conversation about celebrating and respecting the lives of women around the dinner table, or do you not. We need men to take a stand to be advocates and to make a stand next to us, especially men that are 40 years of age and over. And while posting content on social media is an albeit small part of the conversation, I am really curious, and this is my struggle. To me, every day is International Women’s Day and especially since I launched Grateful4Her. Every day is about celebrating and honoring the female story, right back to Cleopatra, and even before her, even further.
That said, I am really curious. To the men in the world:
Is International Women’s Day for you to participate in too? Do you feel you can come to these events and be part of the conversation? You are half of the population and we need to be having more of these conversations together if we are to really impact change in how we consider and celebrate the roles and differences our genders bring.
#IWD2018 #Women #Men #Agender #LetsHaveTheConversationTogether #Feminism #Equality #ItsAboutAllofUs and our #SharedUnderstanding #BeBoldForChange #IWD2017
