Yesterday was International Women's Day, a celebration of being of the fairer sex all over the globe.
I work in the web/app development industry. It is male dominated. I have seen lot of sexism in my career, but then I have in my everyday life as well. Just yesterday my middle aged next door neighbour Nigel was explaining I couldn't possibly know what size screws were. Why Nigel? It it my bleach blonde hair? My fair skin which makes me look in my twenties (thanks mum & dad). Or is it my breasts.
It was the latter wasn't it, let's be honest.
I regularly, as many women, face everyday sexism, just like this.
But this weekend, I want to take a different approach.
I want to be thankful.
I want to be grateful that I don't have to cover my face, by law, if I don't want to, and that I can if I feel like it. I wish I could hug all the suffragettes at the turn of the last century, who starved themselves just so I could vote today.
I want to be thankful I had the opportunity to have a university level education. That I can drive a car, have a job and rent a flat. That I can live on my own.
All these things I find myself reminding myself of when I do find out I earn less than my male counterparts 1, when someone's eyes widen when they find out I'm 32, unmarried and without children.
And yes, when Nigel assumes I wouldn't know anything about screws.
And men - I implore you to be grateful too. That you live in the company of such a vibrant, individualist society, with beautiful women in your life, who actually chose to be there.
Most of all, I hope I can look back on this post in years to come and that all these issues, someday, will not be issues at all.
- This happened in previous roles, not my current one.