Today is the day we all —
“Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.”
It is International Women’s Day.
Personally, today I celebrate her —
Her fierce spirit, her strength, her sweet friendships, her dedication to dance, her love of reading, her need to listen to music throughout the day (and continuous wearing of headphones), her quest for excellence, her love of rainbows, her dreams of being an artist and animator, her wicked sense of humor, and her ability to create beauty through her words, actions, drawings, photographs, and sense of style.
May she NEVER hear the words "girls cannot do that.”
Professionally, today is the day to put women’s health front and center. To bring to the forefront the disproportionate impacts the pandemic has had on women’s health.
Even before the pandemic, women were more likely than men to be working in a low-paying job (many that do not provide health insurance). And women were paid less than men for the job (about $0.82 for women compared to $1.00 for men). These inequities illustrate the devaluation of women’s contributions to the workforce.
This inequality is unacceptable.
The pandemic has been hard on women because the U.S. economy and cultural norms are hard on women. And the disruptions, shutdowns, and changes brought about by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus served to highlight these hardships and make the challenges and inequities even larger. Working mothers were already shouldering the majority of family caregiving responsibilities as the pandemic began, and they were doing so in the face of a childcare system that is completely inadequate in a country where more parents work outside the home. Working mothers have shouldered more of the responsibilities associated with remote learning and sick children during the pandemic.
This has resulted in women leaving their jobs more frequently in the midst of COVID.
And statistically, a woman who leaves the workforce today will be offered a starting salary that is (on average) 7% less than what a candidate who is currently employed would receive for the same position if/when she decides to re-enter the workforce.
In addition to the increased stress and responsibilities associated with pandemic life, we have seen women’s health deteriorate as a result of the pandemic —
Domestic violence among women has increased substantially
Hypertension among women has increased
The number of women developing coronary heart disease has increased.
Binge drinking among women has increased
Depression and anxiety among women have increased
While the pandemic is not over and we all need to be thinking about what our “next normal” is, women’s health needs to be prioritized. For in the words of Michelle Obama —
“Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women.”
It is my mission to create healthy communities. In order to do so, women’s health needs to be prioritized. We need to conduct research to understand the underlying causes of women’s health issues. We need to ensure that women have access to health insurance as well as preventive health care. Women need PAID sick leave and maternity leave. We need affordable child care. And we need to create a culture where co-parenting is supported, encouraged, and championed by everyone.
We need better and more accurate screening tests for breast and ovarian cancer. We need to ensure women have access to HPV vaccines, HPV testing, Pap tests, and birth control. And just to be clear access means women need to be able to easily access facilities that offer these services (outside working hours) AND afford these tests (read: they should be free!). We cannot continue to charge women up to $250 for a mammogram. Or $850 for diagnostic testing should they screen positive for breast cancer during an annual mammogram.
There cannot be a price tag on health.
There is a lot of work to do to address these wicked problems related to women’s health. Today — we acknowledge these problems and commit to working toward solutions, justice, and equity. We have a long road ahead of us, but we must strive to make a healthier world for our children and our children’s children.
Together, we need to —
“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.”