Breaking Biases... gender equality, gender ability, financial bias....

 Today is International Women's Day.  I watched a youtube video on Breaking the Bias. It was good. I watched a snippet from Reese Witherspoon about ending the silence of sexual assault. It was thought provoking. I know that men can be sexually harassed. I know that for men it might be even more of a secret because of the shame and humiliation of it. But what I have experienced is that it is the norm and even expected for women to take and keep their mouths shut. 

I am a big breasted woman. It has led to much heartache. One of male "friends" once told me that maybe I get sexually assaulted because I put out the wrong signals. This same friend also said that I am not the marrying kind. I am not the kind of woman that men want to marry. Wait, what? Because why? Because I come across as the American male ideal of sexy? really? Or just what is the reason? I'm throwing this out there, and yet I don't think I want to know your answer. 

In high school I was grabbed on the ass by another student in the dark and when I confronted him he said, "Well, you didn't scream, you must have liked it." Really? 

And people wonder why I'm so jaded. 

But International Women's Day.... yeah. I mean YES. Yes please. Break the fricking bias. hell to the yes.

Kick down the door and let women be heard. Let us be worthy of the same pay that men receive. Let our efforts and hard work be acknowledged and known. Let the same amount of effort as our male counterparts be adequate and acceptable for the same acknowledgement and the same pay. Many times I see women get the accolades their male counterparts might get, but they have gone mile after mile after extra mile. How much would our work world change if men put in the same amount of time and effort as I see women putting in for the same pay and acknowledgement. Just putting that out there. 

Break the bias.... toward gender roles. Yes, my girls CAN play with tractors and motorcycles and build hypotheses and so on. And my boys CAN excel at laundry and dishes and cooking and nurturing. 

Break the bias.... this is a long list and I will just leave this much of it right here. You can add to it, you can argue with it if you really dare, you can ruminate on the thoughts I left you with. Today is International Women's Day. And whether we are quietly knocking on doors or loudly kicking them in, today is the day that we will celebrate.

I am not good at faces. I'll just keep on trying though.