Female





From Google Images

What does it mean to be female in todays society?

Recently, I have seen blog posts and news articles about being female, being a woman, from Lady Writes post 'Here's to the Girl Boss generation' and Tanya Burr's post 'Time for Girls' to International Women's Day which was celebrated on Tuesday the 8th of March. All of these things have led me to thinking more and more about what it means to be a woman in todays society.

Growing up as a teenager I rejected a lot of what I thought defined a girl. I wanted to be seen as strong not weak, I wanted to be on the same level as or better than the boys. Even at primary school I played football with my boy friends, I raced against them on sports day. For a long time my Uncle kept a photo of me running alongside two of the boys in my class. In high school I found I preferred being friends with boys, for a sort while I was the only girl in our small group of friends and I didn't want to be treated any differently by them because of it. I wanted to be seen by them as 'one of the guys.'

As an adult I have clear, strong views about wanting to be independent and about wanting to be in a balanced relationship where roles and chores are shared. At the moment I have no intention of becoming someone's housewife, however, that may change in the future. I also have my own views about how I would like to start a family, which again may not be seen as traditional by others. But does it and should it matter what others think of my choices?

Feminism by definition is 'the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.' I really enjoyed Emma Watson's UN speech about Feminism, especially where she talked about it being a movement for both men and women, where she discussed and challenged stereotypes of both men and women. You can find it here.

Am I a feminist?

I am not sure. What I do know is that I believe that women should have and exercise their right to make choices about their own lives. To choose who they want to be and who they want to be in a relationship with, whether they want to focus on their career or raising a family or juggle both.

Within Tanya's post there is a link to another website with many ways of getting involved and supporting gender equality and women. I clicked on the HeForShe tab as it was a campaign I heard about through Emma's speech. The campaign focuses on six areas where gender equality can be promoted; education, health, identity, work, violence and poverty.

 'How strongly do you feel influenced by traditional gender expectations?'

 

Image from Google Images

 

Mother's Day

Image from Pinterest

On Father's Day last year I decided to write about my family as a whole because, although my Dad is a significant person in my life, he is one member of my family who are very important to me. If you want to have a read, you can find it here.

Well, today is Mother's Day and I will say the same. Mum is a special person in my life, however again, she is one part of the whole. My Sister and I show our appreciation for our parents unconditional love and support on these days with a gift and time spent together. I have previously referred to myself as a 'Daddy's girl' having always gone with him on work deliveries and worked for him for a few years. However, in the last two years my Mum and I have grown closer. I think it was and still is the support we give each other around the care of my Grandad. I can draw on my knowledge from working within health and social care as well as helping out with the physical caring role. I admire my Mum for her selflessness, always putting others before herself.

I read Lady Writes post 'Here's To The Girl Boss Generation' recently and it made me think about what it means to be a woman and also about the female role models in my life. I feel that I have had positive, strong female influences in my life; my Mum, Auntie and both Nan's. All have given me treasured experiences for which I am grateful. I continue to have strong females in my life who are total Girl Boss's by following their dreams and making choices for themselves, whether this is in their work or home life.

On the other side of the coin, I read Janet Street Porter's article in i last week where she questioned whether we should still celebrate Mums. For me personally, I like that there is a special day to reflect on who my Mum is and what she has done for me. As I mentioned in my previous post about family, I don't believe that all parental figures need to biological to be significant and meaningful, there are step-parents, adoptive parents and foster parents. I do agree with Janet when she argues for a recognition and celebration of 'anyone who looks after children and shoulders that responsibility.'

My thoughts are with those for whom Mothers Day might be a difficult, painful day. Those who do not have a positive relationship with their Mothers, have lost their Mothers and those who wish to but cannot become Mothers.

Do you celebrate Mother's Day? What does the day mean to you?