International Women's Day #SheEmpowersHer

March 07, 2020

March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global day of recognition of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements—and aspirations—of women. The day is also a call to action to increase equality of opportunity between men and women.

This year’s campaign theme of #SheEmpowersHer is a reminder that we are all in this together and all supporting each other, regardless of nationality or socio-economic status.  We are all sisters together wanting equal opportunity for sisters, mothers, daughters around the world.  We all empower one another to stand up, to be strong, to protect, listen, be compassionate and push for improved gender balance around the world.

Mehera Shaw makes a difference as a role model for women and for all our employees. 

As the female CEO of Mehera Shaw, I feel a weighty responsibility to improve gender equality in our workplace.  As a woman, I feel this responsibility more intensely. I also find it a challenge to do so.  Rajasthan is a poor state and women artisans often are semi or non literate and have minimal skills and few opportunities to express themselves as individuals in their home situations, and therefore outside their home as well.  All of this means it is difficult to help them gain more job skills and broaden their understanding, help them seek more opportunities.  It is a slow process fraught with many challenges. 

In India generally, many women—especially those in rural areas—still live under the strict control of their fathers or husbands. While more women in cities work outside the home, many still turn their earnings over to their husbands. Lack of control of their own money and time spent on unpaid tasks are big factors that keep women from achieving economic power.

Fundamental worker rights - respect, dignity and a safe workplace - are often denied to women artisans, certainly in the garment industry.  This again contributes to lack of empowerment and gender equality. 

We and other fair trade companies uphold fair labour standards, including safe and dignified working conditions.  This is a fundamental starting point. 

We’re also working to empower our female employees not only by giving them safe and dignified working conditions, but also by increasing their ability to make choices and exercise independence. This year, we’ve implemented periodic in-office workshops in life skills, such as money management and ways to improve health even when money is scarce.

Women who feel empowered will transfer this feeling to their daughters and push harder for their daughters to be educated.  Women who contribute income to their households have on average a higher standing in the household and are able to save some of their income for their children’s future.  Women who feel safe and respected in the workplace are able to learn more skills. 

We also stress the value of education for daughters, as wells as sons. In the past, many young Indian women weren’t educated, or only continued through primary school. It is our hope that the next generation of women artisans will b e better educated and not face as much illiteracy.  This alone makes a huge difference.  We support education by paying part of our employees’ annual bonuses at the beginning of the school year, when tuition is due, and by making micro-loans when needed for education. Over the last ten years, we’ve seen that our employees value education for all their children.

The reality is women’s empowerment is a gradual process.  In the context of our work, it is a process of skills building and gain responsibility, opportunities.  It takes a community and it takes the support of all individuals.  Everyone matters. 

Respect, diginity, education, opportunity, support matter. 

It takes all this and more.  The reality is, we all empower each other one step at a time.

 

The first International Women's Day took place in 1911, and has since grown into a global movement supported by more than a million people around the world. After women in Russia won the right to vote in 1917, March 8 was adopted there as a national holiday and came to be the day celebrated globally as International Women’s Day. The United Nations adopted the concept in 1975.

 

www.internationalwomensday.com

#IWD2020 #Sheempowersher #tradefairlivefair #businessrevolution #women'sday2020 #socent

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