International Women's Day Today, March 8th

"What do we want? Gender equality. When do we want it? Now," came the swell from the crowd of marchers in New York City on International Women's Day, which kicked off two weeks of meetings at the U.N. to discuss the status of women in the U.S. and abroad (Lui,  8 March, 2015).

In the U.S., the problem is no less pronounced than it is elsewhere. According to the U.S. Census, women make less than 80 percent of what men do. Women hold 19 percent of seats in Congress. And among CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, fewer than 5 percent are women (Lui,  8 March, 2015).

Today is International Women's Day, started in 1908, originally called International Working Women's Day, and is celebrated on March 8 every year (UN). The political and gender equality and anti-violence toward women  focus has continued on In many countries, including the United States, although direct action, such as marches, happen mainly in larger cities like New York City.Some people celebrate the day by wearing purple ribbons (Wikipedia).

This year there is a an active Twitter campaign with the hashtag, #Nothereyet, signifying that women have a long way to go to reach wage equality, paid maternity leave, more representation in government and management of companies.

Icelandic women struck in 1975, making significant gains, including equal pay, which was granted them in 1976. They also elected a woman president in the early 1980s. This level of activism and dedication  to the cause of gender equality is not apparent in the US. There is a great deal of denial and backlash against the activism that produced the small gains in the 60s, 70s and 80s, e.g. Equal Employment Opportunity Act and Title IX, which funded girls' sports in schools. 

As long as women's wages are 3/4 and less of men's wages and women are denied access to most higher paid management positions, hitting a glass ceiling before reaching the top of corporations, we have a long way still to go to attain true gender employment equality. 

I admire Patricia Arquette who used her Oscar acceptance speech to urge equal rights and pay for women. It seems more and more women are joining the struggle and speaking out for women. It is also becoming more acceptable to be a feminist, partly because celebrities such as Beyonce and Taylor Swift, who have recently identified themselves as "feminist".

 A bird cannot fly on one wing, as noted humanitarian P. R. Sarkar has said. When the status of women is elevated, men and children will also benefit since women are the foundation of the family and of society, and are an integral part of families, the workplace and society. Let us make the equality and status of women our first priority as has the United Nations this year.  Join the United Nations campaign, "Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity—Picture It!", Step It Up for Women!

References
Lui, R. March 8, 2015. MSNBC News Report.
United Nations Women Watch. International Women's Day. UN.org.
Wikipedia.

The Case for "Ms."

Last week at work I was referred to as "Mrs. Price" This time I didn't correct the co-worker who called me Mrs." as I usually would have. It gets tiresome, but it did get  me to thinking. Being called "Mrs." didn't exactly grate on my nerves, but imagine a rock in your shoe that doesn't want to come out or someone scraping their fingernails on a chalkboard (If anyone remembers that irritating sound).

I reflected on why I was disturbed. Deep down  being called "Mrs." felt like I have to belong to a man in order to matter. You don't have to know the marital status of a man when you call him "Mr." He could be single or married. Why must a woman still be classified according to her marital status?

Wangari Maathai-1st Woman-Nobel Peace Prize

As early as the 17th century, "Ms." was used along with "Miss" and "Mrs."; all were derived from "Mistress". "Ms." was a counterpart to the non-marital specific title for men—"Mr." (Spender, 1981). However, "Ms" fell out of common usage until it was revived in the twentieth century.

Here's what troubles me—Instead of replacing "Miss" or "Mrs.", as a marital status neutral term, "Ms." has devolved into a yet third title for a woman. In current usage, "Mrs." refers to a married woman; "Miss" refers to an unmarried woman; and "Ms." refers to either, but usually to a feminist, a woman who gets the rationale behind not calling attention to a woman's marital status in terms of address. So, since the boundaries between "Ms." and "Miss" or "Mrs." appears to be quite muddy, what earthly good does it do to have the title, "Ms." in our speaking vocabularies?

Women's Lib 1970

A few decades ago while I was working on a masters degree, I was talking to a couple of other students in our education class about the issue of terms of address as I was writing a thesis on this subject. In discussing the use of "Ms." for a woman whether or not she is married, one of the women piped up with "I am Mrs. Smith [not her real name] and PROUD of it!" The other student and I looked at this woman in disbelief. She further stated, "Any woman who has a husband should be proud to be called "Mrs." If you aren't, there must be something wrong with you!"

My friend and I made some feeble attempts at explaining to Mrs. Smith why being called "Mrs." could be taken as a woman needing to have a man in tow or she doesn't exist, at least as a separate, independent person in her own right. It used to be that women were not even called by their first names, just their husband's first name, e.g., "Mrs. John Smith" rather than "Mrs. Mary Smith". Thankfully, that custom seems to be out of fashion nowadays.

Winnie the Welder, 1943

Why are titles important, anyway? The way a person is addressed, reflects the respect afforded to her or him. For example, if someone is a patron in a restaurant and calls out to a waitress, "Hey, come here, girl!", we can readily understand the lack of respect afforded this employee. In the same way, calling this same employee "Mrs. Brown", for example, could be taken as disrespect, as well. How do we know she is married? Along the same vein, calling this waitress, "Miss Brown" could, equally, be a faux-pas.

Suffragette, 1920

So, why not use "Ms." for all women as we use "Mr." for all men? It makes sense. It makes for unbiased language. It affords women the same respect as men already have in not having to reveal their marital status every time they are addressed.

1. Spender, Dale. (1981). Man Made Language. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 978-0-7100-0675-2.

President Jimmy Carter's Call to Action to Women

President Jimmy Carter

Over in our neighbor state, Georgia, former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter, direct  a foundation, The Carter Center, which  is  dedicated to advocating for human rights. Since his presidency, Carter has won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and has championed many causes. He, courageously, left his church in 2000, due to its unequal, oppressive  policy toward women.

In a HuffPost Live interview on Jan. 13, 2015 Carter said, "I think the worst human rights abuse on Earth is the horrible persecution and deprivation of equal rights of women and girls,"  Carter's book, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power, published in 2014, "describes the horrendous abuse that women do suffer in this country and around the world," he told HuffPost Live Jan. 13, 2015 interview here.

Carter on Women Leaders

In this interview Carter mentioned the  trafficking of young women and girls as an unprecedented and unaddressed human rights abuse and the escalation of sexual assault on college campuses and in the military as among the worse human rights abuses of women and girls. He also discussed the wage gap between men and women in this country and the low percentage (18%) of women in Congress. Carter has launched the Mobilizing Faith for Women and Girls Initiative, which hosts an annual forum of world political and religious leaders to promote the protection of equal rights for women and girls across the globe. Mar., 2014 Interview.

I am really inspired by President Carter, who stands up for his values and who provides an astute analysis of the condition of women in this country and around the world. Carter's enlightened stand for women is in distinct contrast with the backlash against women in congress. Conservative legislators are pushing to cut funding for women's health care and proposing laws that make some forms of birth control illegal.  The Blunt Amendment, narrowly rejected in the Senate,  would have allowed employers to withhold health insurance coverage not only for contraception, but for any treatment they disapproved of.

Jan., 2012 Washington Post

Carter Center African Service Project

The Carter Center has several service projects in Africa; including a recent successful health campaign to eradicate the Guinea Worm which afflicts people in 21 African countries. 

When I consider who might be a choice for the next U. S. President, I cannot help but wish it were possible to elect someone just like former President Carter. Perhaps, his hands would be tied in getting human rights legislation passed; however, if anyone could cut through the corruption, lobbying, and vested interests in our capitalist country, it would be someone with the moral fiber of Jimmy Carter. 

January 25th— Welsh St. Dwynwen's Day

Welsh Spoon

Today is the Welsh Valentine's Day—St. Dwynwen's Day. On this day Welsh love spoons are often given to lovers, friends and family. My cousin Linda, who visited Patagonia in South America where there is a large Welsh population, brought me back a Welsh spoon. I love it! This is similar to my Welsh spoon.

St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers. The folk tale is from the fifth century Wales; Dwynwen was a girl whose father wanted her to marry someone she did not want to marry. She wanted to marry a prince named Maelon Dafodrill. Upset that she couldn't marry Maelon, Dwynwen begged God to help her. An angel gave her a potion to make her forget Maelon, who was turned to a block of ice. She was granted three wishes: 1.) She thawed Maelon. 2.) God promised to grant the hopes and dreams of lovers, and 3.) She would never marry.

St. Dwynwen's Church Ruins

Dwynwen became a nun, founding a convent. The picture here is of ruins of St. Dwynwen's Church and below is where the convent was said to be located—Llanddwyn Island off Anglesey in northern Wales. The convent was real; the folk tale, though, is one of those old stories passed down by word of mouth for generations.

My grandfather, great-grandfather and great-uncle emigrated from Usk, Wales to the U. S. in the 1880s, after reading flyers that carpenters and masons were needed to help rebuild after the war. The Prices, stone masons, were skilled in creating beautiful buildings with gargoyles and other decorative pieces.

Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, N. Wales

But that's another story. I wanted to share that we Welsh are celebrating St. Dwynwen's Day today, which is a celebration of love and friendship, much like St. Valentine's Day. 

I wish you all whatever your hearts desire in this new year and on this day of sharing with friends and family. I extend to all a virtual Welsh spoon.