Embracing women's day beyond workforce

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This post is about a topic that has been on my mind for a long time but I keep pushing to write about it. Every time it has crossed my mind, I decided to finish and release it on March 8th of the coming year, a day that is internationally recognized as Women's Day. Unfortunately, I missed it again this year but given that we are still in the Women's History Month, I thought I can still manage to adhere to my plan to some extent.

My LinkedIn feed is flooded with posts marking this celebration and rightly so. 

This day is a reminder and celebration of the journey spanning many decades to get us where we are today, a day to recognize and continue amplifying those voices and platforms (AnitaB.org, as one example) that speak, advocate, and celebrate contributions of women in the professional ecosystem at a global scale. 

Women's presence and achievements in the workforce is a reflection of a strong positive shift in  society's mindset where we are no longer holding back on girl's education, recognizing the value of their financial independence. and the diversity that they bring in avoiding a unidimensional perspective that the organizations would have in their absence. 

As a working professional myself, I strongly believe that owning a career not only brings financial independence but it helps shape one's overall personality and mind by offering opportunities to interact with a diverse set of people. 

But when it comes to celebrating women's day or women's history month, I wonder if we are casting the spotlight on our accomplishments in the professional sector only? 

What about those who chose to stay at home and find it equally rewarding to support their families and themselves in that way? I am sure all of us would agree that as such we all respect one's individual choices when it comes to joining a professional career or supporting family full time. 

But when it comes to coming together on events such as March 8th, are we inadvertently missing out on recognizing the role of homemakers to the "same level" as the other contributions of women in the workforce? 

Managing a home as a full time job is no easy task. In fact, equally challenging as navigating the corporate ladder. Unfortunately, sometimes even at the cost of being taken for granted. For those of us who are working professionals, I believe we hold a strong voice in social media and have our spheres of influence.  Why not leverage these days  as opportunities to become champions of a woman's abilities in every role; be it the silent designers of our future generations by choosing to be homemakers or as a working professional and leading the way to create opportunities for others in the workforce. 

Let's stand united in embracing, celebrating, and be an equal advocate for the beauty, grace, and contributions we bring in both the professional workspace and at home!

Thanks for reading and I hope the post piqued your interest. 

Dippy

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