A tribute to women and the power of a single individual to change the world. Each of us has something we can contribute—to others and ourselves.
"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single
feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts
of all who care about human rights."
—Gloria Steinem
Happy International Women's Day!
International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900s. This recognition occurred during a period of unrest and turbulence amongst women. The fight for equality and emancipation has been a long and arduous journey. While many positive achievements fill the history books, women are still plagued with a number of negatives: women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts,
women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics,
and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is
worse than that of men.
Embrace the Past...
Utopia?
Early Modern Period—Seventeenth
Century (1600–1699)
The role of the woman was strict
obedience to her husband—bound to serve, love, and obey with work revolving
very much around the home. Time away from the home was limited to church.
A bird locked in a cage
Has no room to fly
All sense of adventure
Tucked away to die
Swinging back and forth
No expanse of its wings
What message is relayed
When this little bird sings?
Plenty of water
Seeds always abound
No worries, no frets
Feet never touch ground
I’m like this little bird
Back and forth within my house
Mending, cooking, cleaning
With credence quiet as a mouse
Travels abroad
Are not mine to explore
Changes in fortune
Do not knock at my door
Excluded from higher education
Puts me in the back of the crowd
Shut out of power or authority
No civil employment allowed
My utopia: a cage
So, who do I pronounce to be?
Woman without liberty
Secretly plotting to be free
:
©2012 Awakenings
Sharla Lee Shults
Famous Women in History: http://www.historynet.com/famous-women-in-history
Happy International Women's Day to you too! Thinking of all the awesome women around the world today
ReplyDeleteAnother insightful and thought-provoking poem today. Thank you for sharing it. As always, I enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog post! Thanks so much for posting this and for taking the time to honor all women on this International Women's Day. Did you write the poem? It's really wonderful.
ReplyDelete