Who Run The World?

Being born female means more than the XX chromosomes. It means you have won the reproduction battle and it means flying the flag for feminism and equality from the moment you take your first breath. Now is the time to win the gender war. For generations our female ancestors faced huge inequities. They were forced to be submissive, denied the vote, paid less in the workplace and dismissed as ‘damsel in distress’ type characters whose role was homemaking and childbearing.

Well not anymore. From Emily Pankhurst and Barbara to Mother Teresa and the late Margaret Thatcher, over the years women have proved that they are strong, powerful and worthy, and that we have a voice worth listening to. These women paved the way for equality and freedom for their sisters and we owe it to them, and to ourselves, to continue their fight.

‘The weaker sex’, ‘less than her male counterpart’, throughout time we have been endlessly portrayed and constrained by such misogynistic claims. Yet history and biology both indicate that we are in fact far from the weak links in the chain. But there is another way to celebrate being female that doesn’t involve protests and political standpoints, or any deliberate flag waving: music. “We’re clearly soldiers in petticoats” sang the suffragettes in the Disney classic Mary Poppins, trailblazing the way for women to sing loud and proud. Then Helen Reddy crooned “I am woman: hear me roar” – but the girl power didn’t stop there. Soul sister Gloria Gaynor, country songstress Shania Twain and pop sensations the Spice Girls are just a few other female artists who have used their lyrics to inspire women. But recently, if there is one musician who has dedicated her musical work to empowering women everywhere, it has to be Beyoncé.