Cherish women! All women. All year.

Every year, International Women's Day reminds people that we exist! We are congratulated, honored and celebrated with messages, flowers, chocolates and “women's” gifts. And so we continue to reinforce gender stereotypes.

Our newscasts are invaded by good news and other very disheartening ones about our presence in the world. And companies begin an unbridled search for speakers or mediators for their internal events.

Here we go: according to professor Maria Célia Orlato Selem, master in Feminist Studies at the University of Brasília and Phd in Cultural History at the University of Campinas, "the 8th of March should be seen as a moment of mobilization for the conquest of rights and to discuss the discrimination and moral, physical and sexual violence still suffered by us women, preventing setbacks from threatening what has already been achieved in several countries".

Here in Brazil, we are 109 million women (51% of the population), 54.5% of the workforce, “heads of household” in almost 50% of households, responsible for 80% of the care economy, we influence 80% of purchasing decisions, we have more schooling time than men, we are the majority in bachelor´s and postgraduate courses and almost 50% of entrepreneurial people (30 million).

If we are as important as the beautiful speeches and tributes claim, why do we continue to be invisible, with basic human rights being denied to us?

Why do we continue to be harassed, raped, raped and killed, most of the time inside our own homes? Not every man. But always a man.

Why do we still earn an average of 20% less than men in the same position, why we do not have access to credit and why do 50% of us continue to be fired within 24 months of returning from maternity leave? Can you imagine if all the women in the world decide not to have children anymore so as not to harm their careers?

How about you put your speech into practice for the next 360 days and, on March 8, 2024, tell us everything you did to respect, value, develop and give equal and dignified opportunities and wages to the women around you?

#FairCause

I am Neivia Justa, awarded and recognized Brazilian activist corporate leader, Vital Voices Visionary 2022, mother of Luiza and Julia, two teenager girls, journalist, entrepreneur, influencer, teacher, mentor, speaker, consultant and connector of purposeful leaders who think, communicate and act in a conscious, diverse, inclusive and innovative way to guarantee a sustainable future for all, beginning with women, all women.

Article originaly published in Portuguese on https://mais.opovo.com.br/jornal/opiniao/2023/03/13/viva-as-mulheres-todos-os-dias.html