On Celebrating Internat’l Women’s Day 3/8

“We can not all succeed when half of us are held back.” Malala Yousafzai

Today let’s celebrate the women who uplift and inspire us.

“Why can’t my story, or any body else’s story for that matter, still be in the process of being written, since I am in the process of becoming? And like every woman, I believe I am my biggest celebration.” Aditi Rao Hydari, in honor of International Women’s Day.

There are many ways to celebrate Women’s History Month each March, and International Women’s Day today, and every year on March 8.

Today use social media to call attention to those women who have made a difference in your life, and to the other women on this planet.

Today let’s all tell at least one woman who has inspired us that we are celebrating them today, suggests poet and activist Dora McQuaid.

My friend Vine Sleuth Amy Gross who started Wine4MeApp is in London where she is a speaker at this FREE event that any one in the world with internet access can join:

Let’s remember how far we have come, reflect on our stories, consider where we want to be tomorrow, and thank those who fought for us.

As journalist Ina Hughs points out in the Knoxville Sentinel:

Until a 1965 Supreme Court ruling, married couples could be denied the right to use birth control. And only in 1972 did the Supreme Court make it absolutely legal for unmarried women to use prescription contraceptives.

Until 1971, private employees could refuse to employ a woman with preschool children.

That same year, the Supreme Court, believe it or not, finally declared women were “persons.”

Hughs continues to say that,  “Back in the 1950s and ’60s, a woman couldn’t start a business without her husband’s permission. She couldn’t open a bank account without his co-signature. She could be denied government assistance if there was not a father in the home.”

Further, Hughs reminds us that,

“In many states, she was not allowed to serve on a jury.

Pregnancy was a fireable “offense.”

Until 1964, deaf women could not vote.

When the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established, in 1964, it received 50,000 complaints of gender discrimination in its first five years.

While gender parity has improved and there’s much to celebrate today, there’s a lot more work to be done, which is why this year’s IWD campaign theme is #PledgeForParity.

The World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. Then one year later in 2015, they estimated that a slowdown in the already glacial pace of progress meant the gender gap wouldn’t close entirely until 2133.

Gender parity is important, says IWD, because it is “linked to economic prosperity…. Profitability, ROI and innovation all increase when women are counted among senior leadership.”

To accelerates women’s advancement the IWD says we must:

–Illuminate the path to leadership by making career opportunities more visible to women
– Speed up culture change with progressive corporate policy, such as paternity leave and flexible working
– Build supportive environments and work to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias
“Extremists have shown that what frightens them most, is a girl with a book.”
Malala Yousafzai

“Women are the real architects of society.”
Cher

“Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.”
Michelle Obama

Be a champion of gender parity. Today and everyday.

Find out about IWD events near you.

Here’s what I’ve written on Women’s Day 2011,  a toast to women winemakers in 2014,  and some interesting facts about women (and wine!) in 2015.

Read more about women in wine over at Wine Predator!