Man by Day, Woman by Night

Sometimes I happen to be annoyed by the fact that the International Women's Day on March 8 has become one of the occasions that you add to the secular calendar of consumerism. But then I think that if even just for one-day women can spend a few carefree hours, free of the tensions of everyday life, including family, children, work, grandparents, various commitments, this would be a beautiful thing!

The persistence of gender stereotypes exerts a strong influence on the disparities that still exist between men and women in the workplace, in the family and, consequently, in society, creating profound imbalances between the sexes.

For women, it was always difficult to reconcile their identity as a mother with work. This is why many mothers after having a child decide to quit. In other cases, the employer decides that for the same skill it is more convenient to hire a man rather than a woman and the discrimination is very often linked to the fear of motherhood, for which women are considered less reliable than men and the choice for them is often obliged by kids or career.

Women must become more proactive themselves as every woman is a leader. In the business world, today proactivity is a key ingredient and the ability to self-manage their careers competence indispensable. Women often are less encouraged to proactivity. The stereotype of the male is much more oriented to individualism and proactivity to take charge than females marked by the taking care. Consequently, for women, proactive behavior is individualistic and is a bit less natural.

The importance of work in the lives of women is accompanied by the continuing difficulties in reconciling the internal and external roles in the family. The women present themselves as protagonists of change, the authors of their own lives; but cannot be the sun to press for the construction of the best balances. You do it, however, that all of the society note of the needs of humanity and reproduction of domestic life, and especially that the structure of current work does not meet the needs of any individual, whether man or woman.

Just like my mom’s routine was not routine as she left her well paced out government job in her mid-forties, upsetting a seemingly perfect life, which everyone was happy and proud, except herself and was tired of the routine but after that she woke up in beautiful resorts, and spent days at the beach or strolling through exotic cities.

As she often said after leaving her job, after making the most beautiful and most the difficult decision of her life and traveling places of her dreams, she has never felt more alive, happy and scared in her entire life. My dad and relatives call her a travel bug. An incurable disease and the beautiful she says with her decision to become a traveler indefinitely was not born overnight.

Nowadays, with the dismantling of the barriers that were used to hold different occupations, professional identities and social skills, with the ability for women to provide contributions in via formal response to the quality of work which can only come from their feelings, and yet with reality that drives us to critically rethink their role by accepting the challenge of competition imposed on women by the opposite sex.

In the world, 250 million children do not have access to free education. At just 16 years old, without meaning to, Malala has become their ambassador. After the publication of her autobiography, the young Pakistani has received new death threats from the Taliban. She is the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize known for her commitment to the success of the civil rights and the right to education banned by an edict of the Taliban, in the Swat valley.

Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat, born in 1957, attempts to define the cauldron of multiculturalism in cultural institutions with her work poses a look at the complex social, religious and political duplicity that characterize her personal identity and the different identities of Muslim women around the world and got the Crystal Award given to talents who have used Art to improve the world by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Meanwhile, she is working on a new feature film, on the life and art of the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, a universal symbol for women, who overcame every barrier.

Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and the winner of Nobel Prize for Peace 2003, is a brave and determined woman who always challenges the violent and oppressive regime of their country. She was one of the first female judges in Iran and the first to become President of the Tehran City Court has opened many new avenues and perspectives in the forefront of fighting for civil rights, for peace and for the recognition of women. Currently Shirin Ebadi lives a forced exile in London while waiting to return to her country.

There are women who work as commanders of air with the head in the air and down to earth, or who are engaged as creators of new forms of exploration of professionals and territories, while others, with intelligence, passion and up to date expertise, look beyond, aiming at ambitious targets without losing the identity.

This is neither an advantage nor a boast, but often boomerangs. In the cultural model still dominant woman too often sacrifices herself and, if it is a career, is seen as a traitor to the social mandate somehow not fulfilled or so respected.

The massive entry of women into the labor market, the introduction of new technologies and the growth of the service sector have changed the face of the work. The future of work means many more women to work, and this future has to bring gender equality.