“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” — Maya Angelou

Yesterday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, and I’d just like to take a minute to share my gratitude to all the women who came before me for what they have done for us, to all the women beside me as we fight for equality, and to the women to come in hopes that they’ll see a better world.

Being a woman has never come easy. We continue to live in a world without gender equality, no matter how far we might’ve come.

International Women’s Day has never been country, group, or organization-specific. It’s a day of collective global activism and celebration for those committed to fighting for equality.

It’s been well over a century since the first International Women’s Day was held.

Sadly we’re still fighting for fairness.

In 1908, defying terrible working conditions and exploitation, 15,000 women took to the streets in New York to protest. The next year, the Socialist Party of America announced a National Women’s Day to honor those strikers. The following year, it went global to advocate for women worldwide.

In 1911, the concept of “women’s day” caught on in Europe, and the very first official International Women’s Day was held. More than a million people turned out to rallies in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany.

For most of the 20th century, it was acknowledged at minor levels, seeing rallies for social justice with minuscule results.

It wasn’t until 1975 — International Women’s Year — that the United Nations adopted International Women’s Day on March 8.

On that day, we remember that, so long as one woman faces discrimination, harassment, inequality, or oppression, we all do.

The fight isn’t that one gender has been deemed better than another, it’s that women are treated poorly.

As women, we’re taught from a young age, both intentionally and unconsciously, that we will be treated differently. That we will feel targeted and always need to be aware of our surroundings. We come to realize that we will be talked over and often have to fight to make ourselves heard.

We were often taught to be passive and vulnerable. We were encouraged to play nice and be sweet and not talk back. We were indirectly told to belittle ourselves because we’re women.

Even now, most of those things remain as we try to fight individually and for our gender.

Also now, we’re treated poorly in the workplace, still earning lower wages. In 2022, Pew Research Center found that American women typically earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.

It’s honestly something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. If you take away gender, it implies that one person who works the same exact job as another makes less than that person. How can we as Americans not see the problem with that?

Studies have found that it will take more than 100 years before we might close the gender gap.

Meaning we’ll continue to live and die in an unequal world.

I want to fight for the women before me who are no longer able to and also for the women to come. I’d love to raise my future kids in a world where they will be celebrated as equals.

The truth hurts, though.

As much as gender inequality frustrates me, I do appreciate being a woman and will also celebrate the good things this International Women’s Day.

I love the stereotypical things, like glitter, hair salons, ball gown dresses, chick-flick movies, etc. But I have a deeper appreciation for what’s beneath the surface.

Women are more likely than men to share their feelings and to feel empathy. We’re open to talking about the things in our lives that upset us or make us happy.

We find respect for each other by simply understanding that we often face the same struggles, whether those are spoken or not. It’s comforting to be with other women who also just want to see an equal world.

There are so many important women in my life who I appreciate and who continue to inspire me. To them, and women in general, I’d like to say thank you. You are so much stronger than you realize and you make such a significant impact on me and the world.

From your mother to your sister to your daughter, wife, aunt, cousin, friend, or whoever else is important to you, tell the women in your life that you love them and that you appreciate them. Acknowledge the work that they put into all aspects of life. It’s the little things that mean the most and a brief compliment can go a long way.

Celebrate with those women, but, more importantly, fight with them.

If we fight together, equally, we might just find a way to experience true gender equality.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@TheAlpenaNews.com.