International Women's Day

Today, 8th of March is day dedicated to women and their fight for their rights and equality. It should be happy day and celebration, but even though women came long way trough history, it makes me sad that we are still far away from equality. And don't get me wrong, I know men and women can never be equal completely, we are simply different, but in some ways, equality is something that shouldn't be in question.

When it comes to payment, men and women must be equal. When it comes to education, men and women must be equal. When it comes to basic human rights men and woman MUST be equal. It brakes my heart that there are still some places on earth where women are not in control of their life, they can't chose life that they want to live. Their life is not in their hands. They cant chose or live independently. They can't chose what to do with their body (even if they were abused, and this is regulated with law in some countries). Why? Only because they were born as woman?

I am very sure most man don't even see or understand difficulties someone has to go trough life as woman. I know in some countries woman doesn't work "by default" and stays home to take care of family, but in Serbia in most cases both woman and man work, and that's not always because woman choose carrier, but simply because it's necessary to live here.

Let's see some statistics for Serbia:

• taking care of children: 87% woman; 13% man;

• in rural areas taking care of houses: 84% woman; 16% man;

• leading positions: 32% woman; 68% man;

• woman that feel they haven't do carrier wise as much as they wanted because of the lack of support: 55%

• every third woman is victim of some kind of abuse

For example, here in Serbia, they encourage woman to be entrepreneur, to have their own business, but, as entrepreneur, woman doesn't have same rights as employed woman. So if entrepreneur gets pregnant she doesn't have rights to have her husband go to maternity leave instead of here, if she was employed he could. As entrepreneur she doesn't have right on full payment but only half. If she was employed she would have full. So they encourage woman to give birth, they encourage woman to have their business, but not both. Makes no sense, right?

I know many of these things are different from country to country and it depends on regulations and laws, and how much country protects you as woman, but I know for my country it's not good, and I know there are many countries where its way worse. So, in general, woman came long way, but it's still not how it should be.

But, I want to wish happy day to every amazing woman out there, dealing with everything that life throws at you, and dealing with all that while bleeding every month. Life isn't easy for woman right from the start and sure this society haven't made it any easier. So weather you chose family, weather you choose carrier, weather you chose both, weather you dress up or don't, weather you have clean house all time or don't, whatever you do in your life it's your choice and only your choice. You are not obligated to do what someone else expect you to do and live to someone else's standards. You are amazing just the way you are.

Happy women's day ladies!