MARCH 5, 2024 - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2024

 TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2024, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (FRIDAY)

This coming Friday is International Women's Day.

There is an adage:  Man works from sun to sun, but women's work is never done. In many cultures, women cook, clean, raise children, do laundry, do grocery (and other) shopping, and much more. These are sometimes referred to as "non-paying jobs". The man would have to pay for other services if you had to hire a cook, a cleaning service, or a day-care center. Women are more than household "slaves". Men - recognize your wives with love and appreciation.

Yes, I've been on both sides - a man for 71 years and a woman for five years. I need to become more expert.  

*****

I want to expose a terrible practice (especially in Africa) - FGM ( Female genital mutilation)

A source says, 

FGM is the partial or total cutting away of the external female genitalia. It's been practiced in parts of Africa for centuries as a rite of passage to prepare young girls for womanhood and marriage. 

Some long-term effects of FGM include:

• Psychological impacts, such as anxiety, depression, and loss of trust in caregivers

• Infertility or complications during childbirth, such as stillbirth, postpartum hemorrhage, and early neonatal death

• Complications during childbirth, such as difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, and the need to resuscitate the baby.

• Anemia

• Formation of cysts and abscesses

• Keloid scar formation

• Damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence

• Dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse)

• Sexual dysfunction

• Hypersensitivity of the genital area 

• According to NCBI, 80% or more of women who undergo FGM are from Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan, Djibouti, and Guinea. 

For centuries, men have taken advantage of women. Women have been beaten into submission. Some countries push women into marriage as young as 12 or 13 (frequently at their first menstrual period).  

Keeping them barefoot and pregnant seems to be the concept. Like breeding cattle, women are to bear children - and especially MALE children. Meanwhile, the women are pregnant year after year; they are looking after the other children - plus the standard cooking, cleaning, educating, and more. And to keep women in their place - cut their vulva parts.  

In some Arabic countries, women are to wear the whole Hiji outfits - frequently in Black from head to toe. They can't drive, have male friends (other than their husbands), and can't be educated (although that seems to be changing).  

I had a female student from Saudi Arabia many years ago at Quinnipiac University. She was a good student (I guess she had some link to the Saudi Royal Family.)  She was going back to Saudi Arabia to teach at a women's university. I treated her very carefully. I didn't want an international incident with this lady. She was already married. Her husband was attending graduate school at Yale University. I think she had children (I didn't ask).  

The concept is that women were slowly gaining rights.

Even in the United States, women couldn't vote until 1919. Women could not solely own property.  

The old Virginia Slims cigarette ad may become true. "We've come a long way, baby!!".

The United States is not as progressive with women's rights as other countries. (And, of course, women still can't control their bodies in terms of having children - or having an abortion.)

I don't know the answers, but equality seems close. But you have taken a step forward, and some conservatives are pushing for additional limitations on human and women's rights.

LOVE - PLEASE LOVE MEN AND WOMEN - LOVE ALL NEIGHBORS

LOVE TRANSFORMS - LET IT MAKE US BETTER

Karen Anne White, ©, March 5, 2024

(Aside - and what rights women have are more frequently denied to transgender women. I have been told I must use the restroom of the gender I was born into. (AMAB - Assigned Male at Birth). Hey folks, I fear going into a male restroom these days.)