As I indicated in my earlier blog, I am feeling a bit uninspired this particular Women’s Day.
Therefore, I asked women in their phonebook essentially this question:
“How does it feel to be a woman during a pandemic?”
These are some of the responses (which are slightly rewritten to add clarity and context).
“Being a woman is a bit like chocolate spread: you are trying to please everyone. Still I have little to complain about.”
“Living away from my husband this past year, has made me realise how complete I am in my own right. I look at the social conditioning that I have grown up with – women are incomplete without a man and children – in a different light. I am more cognizant of how I act because my daughter. She will do as I act and not as I tell her to act”
“I think in general the past year has taught us the importance of family and emphasized the need to be self-sufficient as in independent (financially and health wise ). For women in general all over the world, the past year has redefined multitasking – it has taken it to the next level because women have had to manage work, food, house, in-laws and children full time (including their health and studies). In fact not manage but the expectation at work has been to excel at your tasks and deliverables because employers assume you are at home and more relaxed so efficiency and quality of work should improve, (conveniently ignoring other responsibilities at home)”
“While my husband has been doing the heavy-lifting with respect to homeschooling, I am still not getting more than 5 hours a sleep a night because of competing interests, especially work.”
“Thoughts on being a woman in the last year? I’ve been astonished by how many women believe the rubbish others copy and paste on to WhatsApp chat groups and yet they don’t believe doctors and scientists! Covid has brought out the best in female solidarity in some ways but in others; I’ve been stunned by how unkind people can be, especially on Facebook etc. People can be really nasty.”
“Women should be more aware of the need to invest in savings because when things get really tough, employers completely discount loyalty.”
“In this past year the best bits about being a woman (dressing up) was made redundant.”
“Apart from working longer hours for less pay, which now means I earn McDonald wages with catastrophic levels of stress, this year has not been that bad.”
“Covid-19 did nothing to stop the same old frustrations I have being facing in my industry. Because information is not at all transparent, I am not sure why someone white and younger than me (also female) is given a promotion, which I deserve on merit alone. You tell yourself each time, race has nothing to do with it. But I am not so sure anymore.”
“I work for the government and I am not answering this question.”
And I will end with my own thoughts to this question
“For the first time in a long time, the last 12 months have put men in a similar position to women. If you are a man and dedicated your life to work but find yourself without a job now, then there is a complete loss of identity and accompanying purpose. For women, this is just one more thing that doesn’t work out and I feel we are more resilient. For men, this is nothing short of trauma and I feel many men won’t reach out for the help they need because they have no experience of dealing with this.
I have so many male friends whom I reach out to and for the first time in my life, I feel that I am better able to help them the emotional support they need because of the sh*t that I have been through by reason of being a woman. I want to tell them they are never alone and pick up the phone.”
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I would love to hear your thoughts and very happy to publish a collection of new thoughts!
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If you are reading this, reach-out to me and it’d be nice if you don’t make me wait till hell freezes over, although I am prepared to wait that long.