International Women’s Day

The struggle torwards achieving gender parity has been tultomous and worldwide women have been exploited, degraded and treated unfairly. But this is wrong; women should have the same rights and be treated the same as men because we all have a purpose on this earth to fulfil and that is to change the world that we live in. Throughout the centuries women have fought for equality and questioned the cultural, political, economical, religious and social structures that stratified society to view women as ‘inferior’ leading to countless worldwide movements. Elizabeth I fought to be viewed to be mens equal leading troops into war, Anne Boleyn influenced the Reformation movement and Mary Wollstonecraft

wrote the most significant book in the early feminist movement. Her tract ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women laid down a clear moral and practical basis for extending human and political rights to women. All three women challenged gender rules and bent them to pioneer for social change. Neither Anne Boleyn nor Elizabeth I identified as feminists but equally their actions and impact upon changing the structure and attitudes of patriarchal societies meant that they exhibited ‘early’ feminist traits. Wollstonecraft however was a true pioneer in the struggle for female suffrage and was highly critical of contemporary attitudes torwards women inferring that it was only a ‘lack of rational education’ that made women ‘intellectually inferior’ and opposed stifling attitudes torwards women that portrayed them as submissive ‘Angel In The House’ archetypes. All true icons in their own right their defiance of the male gaze, heteronormative attitudes and gender disparity is well documented but even today gender inequalities exist. Women are stereotyped, ridiculed and degraded because of their biological sex worldwide and it saddens me that double standards allow men to be viewed as ‘lads’ if they sleep with multiple women but women to be branded ‘sluts’ and whores’ if they did the same.

It is these archaic attitudes torwards women that make me a fierce liberal feminist. I acknowledge that men face gender disparity too but as a whole I focus on excercising my democratic right as woman to fight against female oppression and give a voice to women who are ostracized for not being men. In some cultures women are still seen as ‘unwanted’ and are there for ornamental value to ‘breed and feed’ without acknowledging their roles as good mothers who singlehandedly run households, cook, clean and in some cases work alongside raising their children. These women are not given credit for their role in shaping boys for the adult world and it makes me wonder why men ridicule the sex that put them on this earth? Of course there will always be a gender gap and some cultures have taken longer to accept women as equals because their cultural values has viewed women as inferior since their civilizations began. What can we do to change attitudes that have been ingrained since the beginning of time? We must fight for independence and create a cultural revolution where men and women will have now right but to accept that women are just as good as men. Marilyn vos Savant holds the Guiness World record ‘Highest IQ’ with a score of 228 on a standard Binet test ( but has criticized IQ tests as an incomplete and artificial validation of a person’s intelligence) and 186 on the controversial Mega Test proving that gender has no limitations on an individuals intellectual ability.

And Savant is right gender has no link to defining intelligence and the rising prevalence of women in power have served to prove that men should welcome equality with open arms. That is why I am campaigning for gender parity and raising awareness of  womens cultural, political, economical and social achievements because it is important to acknowledge that women have had a huge impact on the modern word. Without the suffragette movement we would not be allowed to vote, without International Womens day we would not be able to acknowledge womens strength and courage and be part of a diverse, global sisterhood and without feminism we would struggle to identify with the plight of womanhood throughout history. Women are beautiful courageous warriors who wear their scars, wounds and pain with pride because without a struggle a movement would never be formed.

So today, March 8th signals a new dawn, a dawn where men and women can exist in peaceful harmony and where women can stand with pride. Acknowledge your fellow sisters by making a change for the better this year, campaign against social inequality and encourage men to promote gender parity. The increasing number of men that are identifying as feminists make my heart swell with pride and I hope that many more men will come forward and pledge their vow to end gender inequality.The World Economic Forum may have predicted that the gender gap won’t close until 2131 but that does not mean that you should take it as gospel. Start making a change today by using the hashtag #pledge for parity on social media and spark the social revolution needed to implement a change for social justice. No matter whether you identify as a feminist or not be proud to call yourself a woman because we are f***ing awesome.

Will you #Pledgeforparity and join the social revolution against gender disparity ?

Photography: Jumanna Khanom

Jumper: Topshop

Skirt: H&M

Tights: New Look

Chelsea Boots: Primark

Sunglasses: F21