So sorry, this post was meant for March, not May! I’m leaving it up anyway, so consider me nicely early for next year’s International Women’s Day 😊
This year, International Women’s Day falls on a Sunday. Not that it really matters; I’m not someone who joins demonstrations, but there is one tradition I’ve quietly kept for years.
Every year around International Women’s Day, I watch a movie. And this time, since it’s on a Sunday, I’ll probably watch it on the day itself.
A movie? Yes… let me explain.
What is International Women’s Day?
Every year on March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day.
According to International Women’s Day:
For whom does it matter?
Honestly, I sometimes wonder how much this day lives among younger generations. I should ask my 14-year-old granddaughter if it’s something they talk about at school.
For my generation, though, it truly means something.
The generation before us lived with limitations that are almost hard to imagine now. In the Netherlands, married women could lose their jobs. And until the year I was born, women were not even allowed to sign contracts or make major purchases without their husband’s permission, due to the Legal Incapacity Act.
When you pause to think about that, it changes how you look at your everyday freedom.
What do I do on this day?
To remind myself, just once a year, of the opportunities I’ve been given, I’ve created a small, personal ritual.
Since 2019, I intentionally watch the movie On the Basis of Sex. It tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight for equal rights.
Each time I watch it, I’m reminded of how much has changed… and how much effort it took to get there.
It’s a quiet moment of reflection, and in a way, gratitude.
For me, it matters for a few simple reasons:
- It reminds me not to take my freedom for granted
The ability to make my own choices -about work, money, and life- didn’t simply appear. It was earned over time, often by women who had far fewer options than we do now.
- It connects generations of women
When I think about my mother, myself, my daughters and my granddaughters, I see four very different worlds. This day gently connects those stories and makes me curious about what the future will look like for them.
- It keeps the conversation alive in a calm way
Not everything has to be a big statement. Sometimes awareness grows in quieter moments, through a conversation, a memory, or even a film that makes you think.
The photo above is from my working years, when success meant business cards and office buildings. I realize that life as a single mother with three children, a career, and my own independence was only possible because women before my generation pushed boundaries in the 1960s and beyond. That thought alone makes this photo mean even more to me. (or is this to cheesy 😉 )
Enjoy International Women’s day in your own way!
