Exciting stuff this week as tomorrow is International Women’s Day (IWD). A time to celebrate women and their contributions all over the world. I recently joined a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Women’s Employee Resource Group at work and look forward to getting started. I chose this group because as a woman in the workplace, it is a battle to be seen, heard and, dare I say it, compensated fairly for our contributions to the organization. What are your thoughts on this?
I also feel very strongly that young women need real mentorship to navigate challenging times and changing initiatives, and I want to coach them in professional and personal growth. As Helen Keller once said "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much". So true. Let’s all be more inclusive and support each other in our chosen careers.
This year IWD is celebrated on Monday, March 8, and is dedicated to challenging – the status quo, calling out gender bias and inequality, and celebrating women’s achievements around the world. If you get a chance tomorrow, take a picture of yourself with your hand raised and post it on https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme to show you are in.
I did a little research (of course) and was dismayed to find that IWD is celebrated widely in socialist countries and hasn’t really taken hold in the US and other Western countries. Although the initial impetus was the 1908 strike of thousands of garment workers in NYC to protest low wage and sexual harassment in the workplace it’s more substantial roots can be traced to the Russian revolution. Yes, the first International Women's Day was the first anniversary of the strike in 1909, and it was supported by the Socialist Party of America.
Meanwhile, in Russia Lenin needed the continued support of women in the overthrow of the Czarist government and the establishment of the Communist state, so he created International Woman’s Day in 1913 to help quell unrest and keep the movement going. In fact, women were so consequential in 1917 as they protested food shortages that they brought down the autocracy and got the right to vote. One year earlier than Britain, and 3 years ahead of the US, they had universal suffrage.
Western countries didn’t want to be associated with that in the decades that followed, especially during the Cold War, and it wasn’t until the 1970’s that IWD was celebrated in the US, UK and other more progressive regimes.
In 1975, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 8 International Women’s Day and as of 2014 it is celebrated in over 100 countries and is an official holiday in 25. Some countries have turned it into a celebration of women’s beauty or motherhood, and it has strayed from its political roots into a more commercialized holiday. Regardless, let’s celebrate tomorrow and support our sisters always in their demands for equality in the workplace and society.
In keeping with this theme of choosing to challenge, I have some exciting challenges for you this month. I am hosting Keto & the Battle of Middle Girth this Thursday, March 10 at 8PM EST to share how a Keto diet can get rid of stubborn pounds and reduce your blood sugar levels, which we know can be a serious challenge for our health.
I am starting a LeanIn circle this month online for a small group of 6-8 women around health and wellness. If you are interested in finding out more, contact me at michelle@teeminghealth.com as it is limited capacity.
G.R.I.T., my proven online 21-day healthy mind, body and soul reset is starting again on March 21. This quickstart program pinpoints your motivation, fuel and fitness needs in (3) one week packages with video and pdf content, coaching support and a private Facebook group just for you. Get Ready, It’s Time (GRIT) to take care of you now.
Circling back on the responses I got to my blog post a few weeks ago on feeling invisible, I have a new Facebook group Ages of Defiance for all of you women out there who want some help and camaraderie as we change (grow, improve, define) ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually at various points in our lives. We’ve got to stay together to keep it together. Meet you over there.
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