I’ve chosen to re-blog my own blog of a year ago’s Int Women’s Day. Re-reading it I see, nothing has changed a whole lot in the last year. Though I do have to say, I received a message today from a young man here in DR, wishing me a happy IWD. So, at least in my experience this is a positive. The message has gotten through to at least one individual! Thank you Melvin.
WOW! This is an unexpected theme for travel. It is thought provoking at the least. When I think of Women’s Day, I see women in positions of power … add International to the stew pot, I see women in positions of power all the way down to women oppressed. Rather, our North American notion of oppressed. What we see for those of different cultures, they may be of a different opinion. That does not make their opinions wrong or right, only makes them theirs and we truly have no right to voice ours against theirs. I sit here in the comforts of my home, reflecting on my life. At one point I was successful in my own right, now not so much but still a far cry from the opposite. I look around my adopted country and see very few women of power in this male dominated society. Women may be…
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Loca Gringa 
Still a lot of room for improvement left for women in most parts of the world. Have you read the book “Half the Sky” – very eye-opening first-hand account of the condition of women in various parts of the world.
Jaja, sadly, I read very little. Part of the problem is obtaining books here in English.
And, yes, there is sooooooooo much room left for improvement. However, we need to look at life situations from the perspective of the women living them. Not from our western perspective. I don’t know if this book does that. Hope so.
I once had a muslim neighbour. She went to Canada looking for a better life. Educated herself through student loans. Once done she couldn’t wait to pay off those loans and go home. This is what she said to me, “I have never had to work so hard in my life as I have in Canada. At home, yes, I don’t make the decisions, but I was treated like a princess. My father, my brothers, they worked to support the women in our family. We (the women) did very little compared to life here in Canada.”
I know I couldn’t live with someone else making the decisions for my life, but that’s the western ideal.
And then, there are the nightmare situations that many of our sisters face. Those unthinkable situations. My heart goes out to them.
Well said, until you walk in someone else’s shoes for a while, it is difficult to know what life is like for her.
Yes, and we HAVE to WALK in those shoes. What they say, well frankly, we only know what people WANT us to know. They don’t tell you any more than that. Especially from oppressed backgrounds, hmmm, or criminal ones
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