8 March marks International Women's Day. A day where women, and men, worldwide come together in a bid to work towards equality. To ensure women are given the same opportunities as men, to ensure women earn as much as men, and to ensure laws change as well as attitudes in society.
Recently, after posting an article discussing the financial inequalities women suffer, by The Huffington Post on my Facebook page, I noticed something. A male friend had responded to my article by writing a lengthy status stating women should stop complaining about unequal pay and should accept it. He wrote that it wasn't a "conspiracy" and that it was merely fact. I, as I hope many of you are, was angry and disappointment. If a 20 year old thinks that either women should not earn as men or that women are incapable of earning as much as men; what about the rest of society? What about men in positions of power who can and should change their work policies or laws? What about fathers who actually want to leave their jobs and support their partners in taking on the role as a stay-at-home dad? What about the little boy who dreams of being a ballet dancer but is afraid of pursuing his dream in fear of being laughed at?
The theme of this years International Women's Day is Inspiring Change, and I hope you will all find some way to embrace the theme and more importantly embrace the day. While many institutions and companies are going to be hosting a range of events, I have chosen to participate in Care International UK's charity walk called Walk In Her Shoes. The walk will be led by the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of suffragettes Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst and will take place in London.
We are walking to raise money for women and young girls in developing countries who are unable to pursue or maintain an education due to their circumstances. We are walking to give women and girls the opportunity to live a life without inequality.
I urge you to:
1. Inspire Change
Inspire change by starting important conversations about gender inequality, by sharing articles via social media, by attending one of the many events International Women's Day have to offer, and by inspiring the younger generation to question the unequal society we live in today.
2. Donate
Please donate as little or as much as you can via my official charity page.
3. Take part
You can sign up to participate in the Walk In Her Shoes event here.
My goal is to raise £100, and I am just £15 shy of this total at the time of writing this article. I hope, that with your support, you will kindly donate via my official charity page. I also hope that you will join in this walk to unite with women from all across the globe.
Let's Walk In Her Shoes and make a difference for women and young girls everywhere!