JC - I think you’ve hit it right on the nose. Say no more. I still cannot believe that in 2008, we do not have complete equality. I hope I see it in my lifetime.

Sarah - You raise a good point ‘who can take part?’ and I say: EVERYONE. This is a platform for celebrating the progress of women and acknowledging the progress still needed to be made by men, women, corporations, governments and society. I think men do take part, and true, more men may need to feel included - and maybe that’s the audience organizers need to focus on. In addition - I think corporations/governments need to assume a bigger role at this point in the game, it’s time to shift focus and ‘expand the audience’ completely. The time has arrived!

that being said, having politically engaged events in which women can come together… when the stereotypical (and socially encouraged) norm of a female i.d is often to NOT be politically engaged, or ‘too’ radical or ‘too’ demanding is important. it’s just where are we setting up boundaries and how are we policing them? who gets to be a woman enough to play a part?

cisgendered men being left out of organizing or speaking at IWD events isn’t something i have a problem with. we live in a patriarchal society, where women (cisgendered and trans) are often forced to be subordinate to men in workplaces, social spaces and homes. having a space where women have total organizing control may make more women more comfortable to participate. it’s just figuring out how to convince men that IWD is a cause they should support and come out to, even if they don’t see their gender reflected on-stage.

Corporations that step up to the plate to support women’s issues definitely earn my attention and my buying power, but what of the federal government’s role? Sure they can write a nice speech that advocates women’s role in society etc., but when they pass bills and create policies that make it difficult for women to earn equal pay, earn equal status under the law, and protect their own person, it makes me wonder how corporations can get with the program and the federal government cannot. It seems that we have to shift some of that buying power to the political area as well.

We do not need to look that far back in our lifetime, nor do we need to examine other countries that we judge to be repressive towards women, to understand why we, living in a so-called modern society, have important International Women’s Day celebrations in Canada. Everyone knows that gender inequalities and injustices exist even in our own backyard, and it is a great thing we celebrate those who step up and lead the way to a better today and tomorrow. Let’s take a moment, however, to pay tribute to those who unwillingly sacrificed their lives and raised the awareness of this day to a whole new level.

With that notion, it’s only been in the past few years that corporations have started to realize that supporting these events publicly and consistently is a part of their duty/responsibility. If you have a chance to watch ‘The Corporation’, please do, it is a very dynamic social commentary.

A fantastic example to highlight is the ALWAYS campaign, that donates a portion of their proceeds of maxi pads, to girls in Africa who cannot attend school every month (and often fall behind) because of a basic female function. What an amazing idea! Allow women to go to school!

It seems insane and archaic that we allow things like this to happen - and yet it happens.

its interesting to have a gendered occasion eh…
even more interesting to conceive of a female space…
could there be such a thing…do you know what i mean??

hmm for some reason lilith fair comes to mind…
for women w women…

i dont know…
theres something back-tracked about such events/activities/celebrations
it bothers me…

as you may know staffeen…
my proj is focused on acknowledgin/challengin gender constructs…

your blog today…
has left me confused and troubled