Tomorrow March 8th, 2017 is the “Day Without Women,” a day organized by various grassroots and semi-political groups encouraging all women to “not show up” in order to make a point about the value of women in the world. Women are encouraged to stay home from work, to not shop, and to not engage in any of their usual commercial activities.
This general strike aimed at all women has grown out of the Women’s Marches that took place in opposition to the election and inauguration of President Trump in January. It coincides with International Women’s Day and according to the Women’s March Website, “women and our allies will act together for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people, through a one-day demonstration of economic solidarity.”
This day has left me thinking about the role of women in our current society and how we view our own contributions. In order to make a point about our perceived value, these groups are calling women to withhold their main contributions. However, this is what bothers me most about the Day Without Women; it is insinuating that our greatest contribution is in the economic realm.
The organizers of this day do not understand that the true value of our womanhood has little to do with what we earn as employees or buy as consumers. Our greatest value as women lies in the unique contributions of our bodies and our feminine spirits as both physical and spiritual mothers and guides for the next generation. We cannot go on strike from these most important roles, and to even consider doing so would be an egregious and willful neglect towards those that need us most.
For us to opt out of our womanhood for a day is simply not an option, and is not something that would bring anything good or beautiful to the world. I think the Day Without Women is a great opportunity to highlight the amazing gift of our unique contributions to society as women. The worst scenario is a world without the gifts of women, not just women in the workforce, but a lack of women as the Mothers of the world.
So tomorrow, I want to encourage you to live your female genius to the fullest and do something extra special for humanity. We as women should not want to prove our worth by depriving the world of our beauty and goodness for a day. We should rather remind the world how much better things are when women are living their feminine hearts to the fullest. A day when all women step up instead of opt out will send a much stronger message about our value and our contributions than a day without shopping or working could ever do.
“The world doesn’t need what women have, it needs what women are.” ~ Edith Stein
#MotherTheWorld
#WomenWork
this is poignant and beautiful. thank you!
Or make a donation to Planned Parenthood, since the republicons don’t believe poor women should have access to free healthcare.
Or better yet, make a donation to Guiding Star where uninsured women can have access to free full spectrum healthcare, not just screening services and abortions, like Planned Parenthood.
There goes Leah with the mic drop.
So much YES. That quote from Edith Stein is exactly what came to my mind thinking about this. If women are so awesome (which we are), then why would we take away our invaluable contribution to the world? Totally contradictory.
Just as a point of reference, I have seen the strike described as being from both “paid and unpaid” labor. Obviously there are essential duties that must be performed at home but it would be an interesting experiment to ask the men/boys of the home to do all the chores that the women/girls typically do. It is true that a strike does focus solely on the economic realm and not on women’s role in the world in general.
How many of us have heard stories of mothers and grandmothers who stopped cleaning or cooking for a day just so the menfolk would realize how much the household depended on what the women did every day? Both activities – A Day Without Women and Women Work – are just ways of engaging on the topic with our families and community and world. I often tire of the partisanship, the only 2 ways of seeing things, the 1 is right and 1 is wrong arguments, the which side am I on? questions. Couldn’t we strive to see the good and the common ground in each other’s efforts to better our world? As for me, I say thanks for the idea of if I can’t do anything else today, I can make a conscious effort to smile and look another in the eyes, and I can do something nice like make somebody some blueberry muffins!