International Women's Day: Women then and now

Photo credits: Pixabay

It’s Women’s day, so I’m going to speak about it a little and share opinions on what women represent nowadays. 

The first thing I want you to know is that Women’s Day is a day to recognize women’s achievements especially the ones that were accomplished during a period of time when men were the only ones allowed to do certain things. Women had to fight a lot to be recognized in society. These women fought for important causes and showed the power of their voices in moments where society needed them, they protested, fought, and demanded equal rights and fair laws for both men and women. Their fight allowed women to vote, to get an education and jobs, get paid fairly, avoid domestic violence... and the list goes on and on.

Now women are actually well recognized but not yet as well or as much as they deserve to be. it is important that we, as girls, respect their memory by not getting lost on social expectations. The role models we follow shape our identity, and who we turn out to be in the future. Young girls like Malala Yousafzai, who have traveled around the world giving speeches and fighting for equal rights between men and women (in this case boys and girls), should be an example to all of us of the importance of this responsibility we now have.

But being focused these times is hard. There are lots of popular things and expectations regarding women, mostly caused by social media. For example, social media says women are supposed to look and act a certain way: girls are supposed to wear makeup and hair properly, be a certain size or body type to be considered pretty, or wear a certain type of clothes to be 'in', If they don't, they are considered 'ungirly' or 'too lazy'. Some random teenage girls dance in front of a camera with short shirts for 60 seconds and get paid lots of money, while women who work their lives off every day in offices and get paid very little. This, far from helping, has given a very bad perspective of women to the world, and we can all agree that it needs to stop.

When I grow up I want to be a president. To have this dream was something we little girls couldn’t even think of in the past. Nowadays, even if some people don’t take us seriously, we can achieve these goals and dreams with the support of our family and friends. I would have never imagined living in the old times when no one, not even my family, would want me to work hard on a real job. Thanks to all the women we celebrate today, young girls like me show their strengths by saying and doing what they are passionate about. 

For me, a woman cannot be defined with a single word. Women are strong, powerful, brave, smart, creative, dedicated, loving, and much more! so celebrate Woman's day by becoming the best version of a woman you can be. This Women's Day research for a woman that has accomplished something, and you will see they probably started being just like you.

It is time for more and more women to be recognized for what they are doing all around the world. Ask yourself: What are you doing right now? What do you want to become? How will you change the world and make it better? 

“Women are like teabags. You never know how strong they are until they’re in hot water."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Maria Alejandra Vásquez

5th grader