We have come so far, yet there is still so far to go before women are treated as well as men in the boardroom, at home, in the workplace, in government, in the classroom, in the health clinic and so on. The younger generations in North America tend to speak as though the problem is solved. But it's not.
I recently finished reading the book Half the Sky by WuDunn and Kristof, after seeing Oprah Winfrey interview the two authors on her show one Friday afternoon. The interview was riveting, but it was no match for the book. My world is changed.
The title of this book refers to the Chinese proverb "Women hold up half the sky." The authors talk about the oppression of women worldwide, using statistics and the personal stories of many women to show that when you improve opportunities and treatment of women, the entire community benefits. The "stars" of this book are the women who have seen a glimpse of opportunity and changed the future for themselves and their children. But there are other "stars" in the book: the people who have helped women in a myriad of ways, in many countries, to find escape from horrible situations and to see that hope. The book is a call to action for the reader.
The impressive thing is that this is not a one-note book. It's not just about human trafficking, not just about female genital mutilation, not just about fistulas, not just about the lack of education for girls. It takes the whole plight of women around the world into account, and leaves you unable to finish the book without seeing some cause you can take up, some way in which you can personally help, even if you have minimal resources. The book ends by listing organizations that you can join in order to help women with the cause that most touches your heart.
Add to this book the Greg Mortenson books (Three Cups of Tea, Stones Into Schools), and Khaled Hosseini's book A Thousand Splendid Suns, and it felt to me like, as one student coined the phrase yesterday regarding his learning, "someone put a stick of dynamite in my head and blew it up, forcing me to become more broad-minded." How I love learning that is grounded in the liberal arts, in reading widely, in listening to the voices of people different from me!
Happy International Women's Day. Use it to make this world a better place for a girl or woman somewhere.
Thank you, Ginger. I loved reading this blog. It was informative and definitely encourages me to read the book. I did not even know there WAS an "International Women's Day" until I saw it on three of my friends' Facebook pages. But, nobody explained the background like you did.
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We celebrate International Women's Day in Canada. I am so blessed to be part of a society where women are not stopped from achieving their dreams. But this has happened only within the 90-100 years. I need to read the book you suggested.
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