Selfless Angels
Spend a day babysitting a child and you will end the day feeling like you wrestle with a bear. Yes, this is exactly the wrestle that most moms do 24/7, seven days a week, with a big smile. In most cases, they are the first to get up, and the last to go to bed. Within their busy-like-a-bee day, they make breakfast for everyone, prepare lunch bags for the entire family, drive the kids to school or daycare, before selflessly turning to their own dreams and aspirations for the day.
Later in the day, they will prepare dinner for everybody, do the laundry, clean after everyone, pick up the kids, drive them to and from extracurricular activities, do homework, make sure everyone had a good day, and ensure that everyone is ready for the next day, before going to bed. This daily routine continues again when the sun rises, taking different forms through a lifetime, at times unconsciously. No doubt women make everyone their priority, they spend approximately double the hours that men spend on childcare, taking away time that they could focus on their own dreams and ambitions. Women also spend time doing other unpaid jobs such as volunteering, taking care of the elderly, and helping to build community. It is no coincidence that only 12% of Board seats of major corporations are held by women, who are not given the opportunity, in essence, not taken care of by everyone while they are busy taking care of everyone.
Entrusted with Putting Together the Building Blocks of Society
Historically, Canada was founded in 1867, but women were only allowed to vote in 1917 in Manitoba, and in Quebec as recently as 1940. Today, women are generally more educated than men, make up 60% of graduates, but earn less than men, even worse when the woman is an indigenous or a racial minority.
Nature has endowed women with special features to bring forth a baby into the world, while society has entrusted them to transition these babies into decent, well mannered, successful adults. This is a huge responsibility that needs special support to produce the next generation of politicians, doctors, engineers, artists, lawyers, tradesmen, and everyone out there contributing to society. Since most women spend more time than men doing free work in putting together the building blocks of our future, some countries such as Spain has resulted in legislation to force men into supporting women with household chores. But with a big smile, most of the Spanish women say they do not want the government in their homes.
Give a woman fish, you feed a family for a day. Teach a woman how to fish, you take an entire human civilization to a whole new level.
In Canada and in Alberta, efforts have been made to support families with Child Benefit, subsidies to help moms bring down childcare cost to free up some time such that they can do other things to move forward in life. Well, these efforts have not been effective as women, especially single moms are the poorest in society. Either the support does not go far enough, or there is need for a better way to support women. It is apparent that women have been taking care of everybody. It is time for everybody to take care of women? While our efforts in Alberta have been invested in compensating those babysitting for couple of hours, it is fair to say it is time to compensate those angels among us that babysit for a lifetime? Those who are entrusted with our future as a society, we should support them such that they can use the support to make investments that impact their lives positively, the lives of their families, and back to benefit all of us. It is obvious that effective support to women will help guide and transition kids into successful adults. Properly supported women will enhance the quality of care they provide to their families, and produce a society the envy of any civilization. Give a man fish you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Give a woman fish, you feed a family for a day. Teach a woman how to fish, you take an entire human civilization to a whole new level.
Women’s March 2019
Some women like Tracy Barry, pictured in the first photo below has five kids, but miraculously still finds time to be a mom, a full time student, and run a successful organization, empowering other women. On January 19, 2019, at Edmonton Churchill Square, Tracy Barry added her voice to the Women’s March organized by March On Edmonton Collective. Here is what Tracy had to share.
That is why, I feel that Women’s March and other movements like this should never fail addressing this issue, without taking away from the matter that matters. We must ensure to use this platform to really stop discrimination in all its forms and watch for pitfalls of selectivity and preaching to the converted.
If we fail to recognize and address these inequalities, there would be no possible way more women, particularly in the racialized groups, can ever attain a higher purpose, especially in leadership. There are thousands of women suffering out of sight, struggling with untold torments, social and economic exclusion, hopelessness and many other barriers.
When I called my organizations Gradual Rising of Women or GROW; many questioned why I said women were _“gradually rising.”_ This was usually expressed from a point of privilege and cynicism which I continue to notice to this day. There’s nothing wrong with having privilege per se, but those enjoying it should try to be aware. How it’s used matters.
For this reason, I choose this path and I won’t stop until many women regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, became truly equal,” ~ Tracy F. Barry.
