Women’s History Month: Building
Your Legacy
On International Women’s Day this year, I read to my eight-year-old daughter’s classmates about the women who have inspired me. I thought about the legacy that I as a woman would leave behind for my daughters and how each generation of women before me has challenged the narrative of patriarchy—both personally and professionally.
I read to the class about Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country, and Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist, and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. As a third-generation Kenyan (ethnically South Asian), I find the stories of these women particularly resonant because they challenge the status quo in conservative societies. Gender bias still exists and, in some cases, is getting worse. However, the ripple effect of Bhutto’s and Maathai’s initiatives, their strength, and their resilience has had a strong impact in their respective societies.
I also reflected on whether I felt I could actually celebrate International Women’s Day, which took place on March 8
this year. I want to acknowledge that women still face issues of sexual harassment and domestic violence, inequality in pay, unequal access to productive resources, and the unequal burden of care. Additionally, in many developing countries, even basic issues of high mortality for women in childbirth continue to be a reality.
Wangari Maathai and Benazir Bhutto were renowned women who have stood in the global spotlight. But I wanted to recognize all women and the contributions they make to society. I celebrate mothers, those who choose not to be mothers, daughters, women facing the horrors of war, Covid widows, partners, and caregivers. International Women's Day also inspires me to continue to engage men to become advocates for gender equity.
Celebrate International Women’s Day? Yes, I did. It's a chance to mark how far we have come, but also how far we still have to go.
