Carrying the Flag

Today is International Women’s Day. It is ‘a global day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women, past, present and future’.1

Suffragette poster from 1912It all began exactly a hundred years ago with the suffragettes. These were women who were frustrated with their status as second-class citizens; women who fought to be recognised as the social and economic equals of men – to be able to vote, to open a bank account in their own name, for the right to work and earn money.

Their methods were militant – smashing, burning, even bombing – but they were certainly determined. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. Imagine being told that you were too emotional and could not think as logically as men, so you should not be allowed to vote! They were, but we are not.

suffragettes wore colours to distinguish themselves:
purple for dignity, white for purity, and green for hope

Back then the suffragettes wore colours to distinguish themselves: purple for dignity, white for purity, and green for hope. Unfortunately there are still millions of women around the world who are suffering just because they are women.

So keep carrying the flag!

Suffragettes in Swindon, in South West England, 1908

1. Source: International Women’s Day website.