Inspiring Quotes From Some Global Voices To Reflect Upon On Women’s Day!

My 26 year-old checked to see if my post for International Women’s Day was ready. It is not surprising that he had that question because he has seen me write a variety of articles related to women!

March 8 is here, and the stage is ready to recognize and honor women achievers and celebrate their glory. The focus is to increase the visibility of women in varied walks of life. So we are on the track again, like previous years, to commemorate this great event!

#EmbraceEquity is the 2023 campaign theme

A brilliant theme has been picked this year for International Women’s Day, and it relates to spreading awareness about the importance of equity.

The terms equality and equity are often used interchangeably, but they are inherently different.  While equality means providing the same opportunities to all people, equity is to recognize the fact that each person is circumstantially different and that resources need to be allocated keeping those parameters in mind. 

Let’s visualize a hypothetical scenario. An organization prides itself on providing equal opportunities for men and women in its hiring process. In the situation that they decide to hire a female candidate with young kids to look after, the company needs to offer child care initiatives to entice the potential employee to accept the job and give her best.

Equality sans equity is meaningless. The #EmbraceEquity campaign states “Equity isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA”. 

To envision a gender-equal world, we need to address the issues that plague society. Acceptance and inclusion need to be the cornerstones of the decision-making process. Unless sexism and discrimination are wiped out, we cannot hope to reach the finish line in this race to achieve equality.

Women cannot be alone in their fight to establish their rightful place. Rather, men and women need to work together in harmony for the well-being of both genders. 

On this special occasion of International Women’s Day, I share ten quotes from both men and women who believe in gender equality and female empowerment.

Inspiring Quotes from Powerful Voices

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

“She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human”. -Vera Nazarian, Russian-American writer

“Let’s be very clear: Strong men – men who are truly role models – don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together.” – Michelle Obama, Author and Former First Lady of the United States

“It is absolutely men’s responsibility to fight sexism too. And as spouses and partners and boyfriends, we need to work hard and be deliberate about creating truly equal relationships.” -Barack Obama, 44th U.S. President

“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.” – Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

“I think every woman in our culture is a feminist. They may refuse to articulate it, but if you were to take any woman back 40 years and say, ‘Is this a world you want to live in?’ They would say, ‘No.’”–  Dame Helen Mirren, English actor

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G.D. Anderson, Australian feminist writer

“We shouldn’t be afraid of the word ‘feminist’ – men and women should be able to use the word to describe themselves any time they want.” – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“Who are your favorite heroines in real life? The women of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran who risk their lives and their beauty to defy the foulness of theocracy” – Christopher Hitchens, British-American author & journalist

“I do call myself a feminist. Absolutely! It’s worth paying attention to the roles that are sort of dictated to us, and that we don’t have to fit into those roles. We can be anybody we want to be.” -Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor

I believe that these quotes will strike a chord with you if you nurture the dream of a world that is inclusive and equitable, with men and women taking their strides together in pleasant camaraderie.

Happy International Women’s Day!

(This article was featured in Women’s Web )