The Story of Many

Today is an important day.

Now, don't worry. This is not going to be a feminist rant. In fact, the word "feminist" makes me shudder. In my mind, that word conjures an image of a reasonably well-off woman who feels she has been "held down" by patriarchal colleagues/employers/politicians/etc. And feels she must scream to let them know how wronged she has been. How wronged because she was passed over for a promotion. Or because she must work two jobs to afford her very nice house and car and daycare.

I know there is some merit to these claims. I work in a female-dominated profession, where not so many years ago nurses were expected to say, "Yes, doctor, sir. Right away, doctor, sir." I know nurses have come a long way to establish themselves as a respectable, educated profession in their own right. We collaborate with physicians for the best possible patient care, rather than simply doing as we're told. And, though there is still a long way to go, the ratio of men to women in the ranks of doctors and nurses is becoming more and more balanced.

That's great and all. But that is not what Women's Day is about to me.

THIS is what Women's Day is about to me:

These beautiful, strong, remarkable women have had the worst lot handed to them in life, but they can still smile in spite of it. They married young. They had a limited education, if any. They spent excruciating days in active labour, desperately trying to deliver their baby, but the nearest hospital is days away by foot...and how could they afford to pay the doctor? And perhaps their family and neighbours have told them that doctors cannot be trusted. They should instead trust their traditional practices to get them through this trial. At the end of days of misery and fear, their child is stillborn. Their child is dead, and they now find their bodies have betrayed them even further; they cannot control their bodily functions. They now live in perpetual shame, grief, and hopelessness.

It is such a precious privilege to be able to serve these women; to watch them reclaim their dignity and their value.

Simply correcting the damage that has been done, however, is not nearly enough.

The challenges faced by women in the developing world every day are gargantuan when compared to those we face in our very comfortable lives. There are millions of girls who are never able to attain a primary school education - let alone the secondary and post-secondary requisites for a job where they would have to worry about pay equity.

So let's start there, shall we?

Let's start with the story of the many girls who face oppression not just in the size of their office space, but in the miles they must walk to school, the dogma that restricts their free will, and the daily threat of violence.

Let's share their story. Let's celebrate their determination. And let's work to change the ending.

-D