Being a woman and being ‘with woman’ – the very definition of a midwife, which is where my career focus has been for the majority of my life. To now also stepping into a new role of being a woman in business, I feel the importance to reflect on what this day means and be proud to celebrate International Women’s Day with all those women that have walked before me, besides me and in front of me.
Celebrating being a woman is about equality not gender supremacy, we are all human, gender equality is for everyone and we should use our voice to champion for change. International Women’s Day is about filtering out the stereotypes, breaking the bias', aiming high and being confident women, whatever stage of life, whether it be adolescence developing a sense of self image in a new era of social media; a young woman climbing the executive ladder; or a woman at the edge of her reproductive age feeling the biological shifts of menopause.
When I reflect on what it is to be a woman, I immediately envision pregnancy, birth and the power of sisterhood. This is not because I believe having a baby defines us as women, but my role as a midwife is all about empowering women to recognize their own abilities, to harness their strength, face their fears and not give away their power to choose. Pregnancy is a time of transition, personal growth and profound beginnings. Birth is not just another day in a women’s life, it has the power to alter her values and perceptions about the world around her.
When a woman, also becomes a mother, no matter where on this earth she lives, she no longer thinks and speaks only for herself, but advocates for the needs of her children, family and community. Research has shown when women are healthy and educated, their families will be too. When women earn money, they invest it in the health and education of their children and families. When one women escapes poverty, she brings with her four others - that's a powerful way to create lasting change and the reason this year I chose to donate to Care Australia - Her Circle https://www.care.org.au/what-we-do/women-and-girls/ as my way of paying it forward and helping make a change.
It’s a wise investment, because when women support each other incredible things happen. Everyday I am grateful for my friendships, my family, my education and health and now my new business that is keeping me learning and earning.
Lets celebrate and encourage these themes:
o Be brave, to lead by example, and empower others
o Be a confident woman, to raise confident women and model the standards we want to see in the world
o Be humble, we all have our own personal drivers of success
o Be yourself, what we believe is what we will become and there is only one YOU.
Happy International Women’s Day
