Reflecting on International Women’s Day, Craig asked Tracy a few questions about what it means to her. Here are some highlights:
What is International Women’s Day?
To me, International Women’s Day is a day in which we can all reflect upon not only the recent contributions that women have made to the arts, technology and humanity in general but also on the obtainment of our equal rights and how we’ve moved forward, especially in the past 100 years.
Could you give us a little bit of an insight into how this impacts you?
It impacts me in a very positive way because my entire lifestyle now wouldn’t have been possible 200 years ago. I work, I’m in a partnership with my husband, in that we share household chores and financial responsibilities, and I don’t have children. These are choices that many women couldn’t make for themselves 100 years ago, so I feel very positive about where we’re at now. The world was a certain way for a long time, but it’s ever-changing. My grandmother didn’t live in the same world I do, but it wasn’t completely unlike mine either. She was a nurse, she worked, but when she was born in 1911, women in this country didn’t have the right to vote. Now I keep her headscarf hanging on my wall to remind myself what the world was like when she was my age. My mother’s world was and is different from mine as well, but it’s a shade closer to mine. She worked and raised three children. She always pushed me to live whatever life I wanted to live.
What do you notice with younger women now?
They’re the next step ahead. I think that the internet and social media are speeding up progress. People can grow up in a fairly isolated place, but still gain a more modern worldview because we’re all connected now. If you grow up somewhere where everybody thinks one way, that women should do this, and men should do that, young people are gaining a totally different perspective online. They can be the force of change in these cultures, these pockets where they grow up. I feel incredibly hopeful that things are moving in the right direction. International Women’s Day is women celebrating being women, but also creating the awareness that there are those who still don’t experience the level of equality that some of us enjoy. We’re all on this journey.
What might one piece of wisdom be that you would want to pass along to the next generation of women?
Oh, that’s very difficult. I suppose I would just say, when making decisions, don’t forget to consider what you want. Consider whether or not you’re making the choice that pleases someone else. I’m not saying you shouldn’t consider others, just make sure you aren’t considering everyone else before you consider what you want. Take the time to think really hard about what you want, because you can make it happen, even if it’s difficult, even if you need outside help. You can make it happen. Make your own choices.
