It's great to be a woman: Reasons 10 to 5
March 8 of each year marks International Women's Day, but it's important to celebrate our strengths all year through. Established in 1977 by the United Nations, it's a day to celebrate how far the women's movement has come and focus on the work that remains -- work that'll lead us to a world in which opportunity is presented to all, without gender bias.
"One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done." -- Marie Curie, 20th Century Nobel Prize winning scientist.
While International Women's Day serves as a reminder of what must be done on behalf of women's rights, there are many reasons to celebrate the female spirit. Neither our hardships, nor our virtues should be ignored.
In honour of ladies everywhere, here are 10 reasons why it's great to be a woman:
10. We have the best of both worlds
A woman can be tough or gentle, strong or subdued. We can go on a 10-km hike and, the same day, attend a fancy event wearing a little black dress with strappy sandals. What's the best part of having so many choices? Not having to stick with just one.
9. We can laugh when we're sad, and cry when we're happy
Some say a woman's emotions are her greatest weaknesses but, surely, they're her greatest strengths.
8. We are the ultimate multi-taskers
A woman can keep house, keep her career on track and keep going. As internationally renowned author Jean Shinoda Bolen wrote: "women are experienced in looking after the children and fragile elders, cleaning up, setting the house in order, being frugal with resources, putting food on the table, maintaining peace in the family, and staying on good terms with the neighbours." And that's in our down time!
7. We can always find a new face in the makeup bag
A woman's appearance can be her greatest ally and her most feared enemy, often in the course of a day. Yet no matter how we think we look, our masterful skills with a makeup brush and natural radiance can produce a wonder of the world.
"Curve: The loveliest distance between two points." -- Mae West, American film legend.
6. Women are strong
It has been written that a woman grieving a loss will find strength even when she thinks there is no strength left. Across the country and around the world, women who have lost loved ones courageously take up the cause, hoping to ensure their tragedy doesn't happen again.
One of North America's best-known charities is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). With American and Canadian chapters, MADD was founded in 1980 by Candy Lightner, who took up the fight against drunk driving after her 13-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver.
5. We are the champions
At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Canadian athletes had a strong showing. Stronger yet were the female Canadian athletes, who brought home 16 of our 24 medals, including Cindy Klassen who won a record five medals in one Olympics.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada's women (in individual competitions or women's team competitions) brought home 14 of Canada's 26 medals.
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