Yesterday was International Women’s Day.
Esprit Place, an emergency shelter for women in Parry Sound, celebrated by honouring women, especially the Catholic Women’s League, with a drop-in during the afternoon.
Celebrations continued on Saturday with a trade show that highlights women entrepreneurs.
Some may wonder why a day celebrating women is needed. They could argue that women are starting to earn more than men in some fields, that the percentage of women doctors, for example, is starting to outpace men, that women have choices between staying home with the kids and working.
In fact, there are now articles about how the Canadian school system is failing boys and about the man-child who never grows up.
All those arguments are correct, but there are still challenges that women face and accomplishments they’ve made that need recognition and solutions. Not every culture is as open to the concept of women working outside the home and being independent, and with Canada the country of choice for immigration, it’s important to keep this at the front and centre of our culture.
Women are still more often the victims of domestic violence.
There’s also the pure economic challenges women face in raising a family while working. Even with government subsidized daycare in Ontario, the monthly daycare bill for little Billy and Sally is daunting, or even a wall for women returning to the work force.
Women are often still the main homemakers, even while working outside the home. Everyday tasks of laundry, grocery shopping and banking tends to fall on their shoulders after the workday.
Yes, men are stepping outside traditional boundaries, helping in the home and choosing to stay home with their newborns, which are all great accomplishments for celebrating this fall on International Men’s Day.
It’s nice to have a day to celebrate women, their abilities and achievements, while networking to find solutions in the future.
It’s also a reminder of how far the movement for gender equality has come.