MARCH is women’s month. Every year the world “celebrates” women in all societies—paying tribute to the ones who have made a difference despite the odds, and committing to help all those who have yet to find their voice, much less pursue their potential.
It should not be a token celebration. Unfortunately, many people mistake Women’s Month celebrations for exalting women, asserting that they need protection, and that they must be treated with flattery and be subject to special rules and considerations.
We all know this isn’t so. Just recall that viral video of a professor being interviewed on BBC about South Korean politics. In the middle of the telecast, his children storm into his home office and approach the screen. When the professor learns about this, he tries to distract his daughter into doing something else; it is only when his wife gets the children out of the room and closes the door that he becomes visibly relieved.
Another video surfaced a few days later. This time it is a female professor being interviewed. When her daughter walks into her home office, she picks up the child lovingly while continuing to talk serious matter with the interviewer. She gives a bottle of milk to the toddler. She entertains the other, younger child with a rattle. She does other household chores—preparing a meal, ironing a shirt, cleaning the toilet, even defusing a bomb—while carrying on the conversation on the fate of the Korean president with a straight face, hardly looking overwhelmed. Finally her husband comes and asks where his other sock is, and she concludes the interview before she proceeds to tell him where it is.
The second one is a parody, of course, but there is truth to what it shows us. And this is exactly why women are seen in awe not just in the month of March but every day—they are able to take on multiple roles even under the direst of circumstances. Often, they do so with flair.
In homes saddled with extreme poverty, for instance, the woman finds ways to still feed her family. In conflict areas, a woman’s first concern is that her children are safe and well-fed. Female corporate executives or top officials, tasked with making high-impact decisions, are not tied to their office desks—they are able to enjoy personal and family time as well.
But perhaps the best role that women can take on is to help others realize their economic status, religion or gender does not define them. A woman inspires others to speak out when everybody else cowers, or to break patterns when it is so much easier to go with the status quo.
Unfortunately, she has to deal with harsher backlash when she dares speak her mind.
Women’s Month is not a time to speak patronizingly about the “fairer sex.” Every day, instead, is a challenge to build a fairer world for everybody—regardless of gender.