Real Impact Will Come from Personal Action

I traveled over Penn State’s spring break last week and so I missed the organized protest of A Day Without a Woman on March 8. The protest was intentionally scheduled for Wednesday, a day celebrated across the world as the International Women’s Day. Women across the globe were encouraged to stay away from their jobs, limit shopping and other activities to female-owned small businesses and to wear red in solidarity. I missed it all because I was vacationing.

Since I wasn’t technically at work, I’m going to say that I participated. I’m all about strong women and women’s rights and women supporting women, even from the beach at Hilton Head.

The walk-off reminded me a little of that after-school movie from 1984. It was about a mom who goes on strike because her kids were being brats, her husband took her for granted and no one was helping around the house. I tried something similar when my kids were younger (without the lawn chair and the sandwich board) and found it to be pretty effective. Unwashed laundry, dishes left in the sink and no snacks in the house because Mom didn’t take care of it was shocking. They really seemed to appreciate my contributions in those few days when they were  gone. However, as we slowly eased back into the pre-strike routine, I came to realize that it was going to take real change to make a difference in our roles.

It’s not unlike the Women’s March on Washington in January. Organized by women who were outraged by the Trump victory, record numbers of women from all over the country made their way to Washington to show their solidarity in expressing unity against what they see as oppressive policies coming down the pike. Ignited by some of Trump’s gross (and sexist) comments as well as fears of the unknown about his administration, women marched in Washington and also in what were called “Sister Marches” in cities and small towns across the world.  The excitement and sisterhood burned brightly for a few days after but without real change and action, things can slide back pretty quickly.  

Unfortunately, the solidarity theme was somewhat exclusive. Women who supported Trump or who have differing views on what are typically considered “women’s issues” didn’t get invited to the party. There were reports of some conservative women’s groups being told to stay away.

That’s one of the bad things thing about lumping all of one group together. When we put people in a category and attribute characteristics to them, it is both discriminatory and degrading.

There is some irony in the fact that many of the participants in both the march in January and the walk out last week were a lot alike — white, middle class professionals and moms who could step away for a day and afford a day trip to their nearest city or who could afford to stay home for the day.

For those not so fortunate, finding childcare to attend the event or facing the risk of putting one’s job in peril for walking out and the potential the loss of wages – issues that many U.S. women face – prohibited them from participating. In some areas, schools closed so teachers could participate in A Day Without a Woman, leaving working moms stuck with the ripple effect of having no place for kids to go during the day.

I’m wondering if we are becoming numb to all of these protests.

Can’t we do better?

Is there a better way to address the remaining inequalities that women face in our post-women’s liberation culture? How do we have a real impact on the plight of women across the United States and the world who face serious discrimination, degradation and cultural practices that serve to enslave and perpetuate the idea of women and girls as sub-human.   

I don’t think we do it by wearing crocheted hats or walking off our jobs.

Change comes from action. Action starts at the local level and then it grows to have wider impact.

How many of those who walked out also reach out? Do we volunteer at shelters? Do we support our sisters in the work place and stand up for each other, regardless of our political party? Do we lend a hand – emotionally, socially and financially – to our female co-workers and neighbors who are struggling? Do we hire and promote, educate and advocate? Do we support the choices and opinions of our fellow women even if they differ from our own?

Offering to mentor a young woman or to show her the ropes would go farther than walking off the job.

Marching on Washington and walking off the job may temporarily raise the volume for those who want to influence policy or change the way we do things. Taking action on a personal level and giving our time, talent and treasure to bring about change will likely have a direct impact.