What does being a woman mean to you?
Monday March 9 2015, 5:00pm
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Newsport quizzed women on the streets of Port Douglas about the international event.
We asked three questions - what is the significance of International Women’s Day to you, what is the best thing about being a woman and what are the biggest challenges facing women today?
Newsport’s on-the-street interview subjects for this question were three American tourists from the conservative southern states of Minnesota, South Carolina and Mississippi.
Karen P, Minnesota :
"I hadn’t heard about International Women’s Day until now but every day is Women’s Day in my house.
The best thing about being a woman is being physically able to be a mother and have children, to bring them into this world and guide them.
The biggest challenge about being a woman is trying to do so many things - being a wife, a mother, an employee - there are so many roles."
Sarah R, Mississippi:
"I think it’s incredibly special that women are being honoured and recognised with an international day like Women’s Day. A lot of women are dealing with a lot of things and the support they get is incredible to me.
The best thing about being a women is our God-given ability to have children and influence their lives to make sure they can grow up into the best people possible.
The biggest challenge about being a women is the challenge to do it all 24 hours a day and look good doing it."
Elizabeth M, South Carolina:
"I didn’t know about International Women’s Day before this but it’s good to know that the women are being recognised for their strength and talents, especially when so many women elsewhere don’t have the kind of freedoms we do.
I would also say that the best thing about being a woman is being able to have children but also being able to contribute the female perspective on things - I like being able to provide a softer viewpoint, so to say.
I’m from South Carolina where we’re very conservative, I’d say the biggest challenge for women is the pressure to be at home, raising children, versus that personal drive we all have to excel on our own and to become a professional, for example. It’s a balancing act."
What do you think? What does International Women's Day mean to you? What is the best thing about being a woman, and what is the greatest challenge facing women?
We'd love to hear from you - leave a comment below.
