Day of the Woman, March 8, 2008

Anyone who knows me really well would tell you that I am definitely on the conservative side in my thoughts of the roles of men and women; which is pretty funny considering that in my current location, I am an extreme feminist.

Call me crazy, but I definitely object to making a man (be it your husband, uncle or brother) a separate meal because he does not like the FULL meal you made for the rest of the family. Call me crazy, but I totally hate it when we are all sitting down eating lunch and a man enters the room and demands (or even politely suggests) that either my mom or sister get up to serve his plate as if he did not have hands. I’m all for serving people, but geez…

Point being, I gladly used the Day of the Woman to encourage my girls’ club (Chicas Poderosas) to pursue their dreams. During our regular Wednesday night meeting, we brainstormed different professions and talked about what we want to accomplish in the next ten years. I assured them it was ok to change their minds, (They’re in 4th-6th grades.) but we talked about how it was important to know what we do and not want. For example, some girls want to go be professionals which means they will have to go to University, which means they will have to pass high school and find a way to get money for attending the University. We talked about obstacles that might stop us from reaching these dreams including: 1. our personal choices (using drugs, being lazy, and bring promiscuous) and, 2: Things beyond our control (unsupportive parents). That day the girls created a picture of themselves in THAT moment and then themselves in TEN YEARS.

On Saturday, March 8th, we used watercolors and created portraits of ourselves in ten years and then displayed them in the school for all the children, teachers, and parents to see. I considered it a wonderful success.

I really do love these girls and it would hurt me a lot to see them surrender their lives for less than they are worth. I really do NOT want to make men seem like monsters, but from my research for the Community Analysis Tool that all Costa Rica Peace Corps Volunteers are required to write (in Spanish, I might add), the majority of families here are single parent moms. And the top three reasons for this include: the husbands moved to the United States to make money, the husbands left their original family for a younger woman (and by younger woman, we’re talking 40-60 yr old men starting NEW families with 15 yr old girls), or the women kicked the husband out because of his frequent drunkenness. I would hate to see these beautiful, intelligent girls grow-up to be treated like trash. For this I gladly celebrated the Day of the Woman, and for this, I guess I’ll be a feminist as well.

“Investing in the education of young girls is considered by many international economists to be the single best investement a developing country can make to improve its social well-being and its economic prospects.” State of the Worlds Mothers, Save the Children. (2005) pg. 14

“Many studies have shown that a mother’s level of education is the best indicator of education for the next generation (even more so than socio-economic status of the family)."

“Societies that have a preference for not investing in girls can pay a price for it in terms of clower growth and reduced income.” D. and R. Gatti. Gender Inequality, Income and Growth: Are good times good for women? World Bank Policy Research Paper Series number 1 (1999)