Today is March 9

…and it’s not International Women’s Day anymore. But it’s one of 364 other days of the year when women still do not have the same chances and opportunities as their male counterparts. And while women’s rights are equally human rights, many humans are still denied the right to education, a violence-free life, a fair wage, or to vote – simply because they are a woman or a girl.

Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s important to celebrate women on March 8 as it raises awareness for the still existing gender inequalities. But I think I can speak for most women when I say that on this day, we don’t need a flower or shopping discounts for make-up or clothing that should make us feel better or prettier. Instead, we want to be honored and valued for everything we do every other day of the year as well. For the unpaid care work, our likely-to-be-forgotten contributions in science, technology, or business, and our tireless effort to compete and find our way in a world designed for men.

But that’s still not happening on a global scale. On the contrary: instead, a day later, society and big corporations tend to go back to normal again. And in this world, “normal” unfortunately often still means “normale”. Or as Simone de Beauvoir said: “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth.”

To conclude: there’s still so much to do to create an equal world for everyone – not only in terms of gender but also race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Thus, I believe the first step is to learn about and be aware of these inequalities to eliminate them in the second step. Therefore, I encourage everyone – especially men – to read Caroline Criado Perez’s outstanding book, “Invisible Women”. I hope it will blow your minds as much as it blew mine and change the way you see the world. 

Happy March 9 – another day to celebrate all those amazing girls and women out there. And don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it! 💙💚💛❤️🧡