Dear all,
I have had the opportunity to be in charge of organizing this edition and I could not imagine a better date to do it! This day could be any random day, with no particular importance attached to it, but this is definitely not the case: in 1975, the 8th day of March was institutionalized by the United Nations as the International Women’s Day.
Several years after, big efforts have been made, some goals have been achieved, but a lot of work still has to be done: gender violence, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, gender wage gap or the glass ceiling are only a few examples of the struggle which women are facing every day all around the world. To date, gender inequality is a sad reality.
As women, we want to feel safe when we go back home, without the necessity to hold our keys in one hand and our mobile phone in the other, as if they were weapons of mass destruction in case of an attack. We don’t want to be treated as sex objects. Yes, it is true and simple: “no” means “no”. We are more than a body: our brain is gold, we are gold. We don’t want to take care of our families by ourselves. We want the same opportunities with regard to access to education. We are capable enough and we have not studied so hard to earn less money than men when doing the same job. We don’t want to constantly prove that we deserve to be where we are. Today we are not asking for any kind of prerogative of privilege on the basis of our gender: this is a fight about women’s rights, and we just want them to be effectively recognized.
Dear colleagues, current students of the College – and, technically, the future of Europe: wee all have a great opportunity to change the state of play. Dear male colleagues, you are indeed part of this fight, as well! It is not a fight against you, but it is rather a fight against patriarchy, that is, a system which also harms you. Aren’t you tired of pretending to show strength during the whole day, or of being cautious when displaying your emotions? Not to mention the fact of crying in public. One day you might become parents: do you think you deserve fewer days of paternity leave than women?
And last but not least, dear women colleagues: all of you are already great examples for the next generations. Equality is a long-distance race, but we have been waiting for too long and we won’t give up. Further challenges lie ahead, but we have sparked change for the better. When someone tells you that you can’t do it, smile back at them: this is ignorance. We are capable of achieving whatever we set our minds to, and our actions prove them wrong.
We have the opportunity to raise our voices for all those women who have been silenced. Today 8th March but also every day. Let’s do it!
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Bonus track - Let me thank all those involved in this edition: I am very grateful that you have invested time in writing and proofreading, and I hope all of you will enjoy it! In case of emergency or any kind of doubt, please do not hesitate to ask Beyoncé who runs the world.
With love,
Paula Foces
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