When Kamala Harris donned the mantle of Vice President, she shattered the proverbial ceiling of glass for many a woman poised on the ladder of success, for many a woman living in the shadows and beyond. In a brilliant way she accented the International Women’s Year 2021 theme, like no one did – Women in Leadership. And yet, given that Cleopatra was once a mighty ruler a very long time ago, and Harris is VP today, the disturbing reality we face by today’s count is that only twenty Women Heads of State and Government exist in the whole world. The number is dismal, easily counted on one’s fingers.

For a better tomorrow it is said women of today have made remarkable strides. They are emboldened. They are stronger. They are better educated. They own wealth. They are found in all fields of human endeavor, from business leaders to sports, from STEM-cell researchers to inventors. They control finance and have steamrolled into politics. In fact, given the right environment and tools, whether writing a book or creating art or designing a future architectural city-in-the-sky, there is nothing women cannot achieve, if not on par, perhaps even better than their male counterparts.

So why is it that in every socio-economic, cultural and communal distribution there is inequality, discrimination and barriers to break down? Why is it women across the board still earn vastly far less for equal work? Why is it women are paid the lowliest wages? It is said the rate of growing poverty in third world countries will drive women into deeper poverty. This makes her burden insurmountable. While undoubtedly Gen-X, Gen-Y, millennials and entire generations of younger women have taken up greater positions of power and decision-making within the home, within their communities making record breaking inroads into the next one thousand years of history, unfortunately women are still very much on the cusp of their own glorious history. That women’s history is in progress feels like a long pent-up breakout even for aging baby-boomers. One of the proudest moments of my lifetime was watching on TV the heart-stopping landing of Perseverance on Mats, tied in real time to the calm face of a confident young ‘pottu’ (bindi) wearing female scientist whose name today is a household word Dr. Swati Mohan as she rolled out the commentary for the historic landing. The fact is women have no grandiose history.

Yet by definition the woman of today is liberated. This is a chronic anachronism. If liberation means the woman of today has entered the work force much more readily than her counterparts of old, then she is liberated. If liberation means that the woman of today can choose her own spouse or partner or the way she wants to live her life or bear children, then yes indeed she is liberated beyond belief. In fact, the thrust of her liberation is such that statistic trends are revealing dwindling population numbers in developed countries where childbirth is in decline simply because women are marrying late in life or not marrying at all because they contribute to household income. Leave that to the pundits of society to stabilize.

Give a woman a task and if she has the strength, will and determination she will outperform a man even if you send her to the moon and back. It has come to this truth that she no longer chooses to remain victim held at the behest of family, society and community depending on geography and country. Ever since the suffragettes broke the glass ceiling in 1920s America when activism grew and they obtained the right to women’s vote, they paved the way for women worldwide. It was a profound turning point especially in nations out of sync with their treatment of women in a world attuned to waging endless wars and failing to recognize leadership qualities in the opposite gender.

Certainly, more needs to be done in the fields of health, education and jobs. A woman of child-bearing years needs to be protected to ensure she can raise her family and maintain her job simultaneously. For enablement to succeed one must walk the talk. A pregnant woman cannot be allowed to lag a hundred steps behind the rest. Neither can a colored woman. Take for example the current pandemic. No tests, no research, no COVID-19 vaccine is manufactured yet for the pregnant woman. However, all will agree that pregnancy is a gift of nature. Pregnancy is what occurs naturally to all living creatures all over the planet. With traditional roles having undergone a switch today in many parts of the world, one cannot dismiss as minor the issue that a girl child has as much relevance in a home and society as a boy child. That said, a girl’s ongoing safety must be guaranteed. In this respect death rates on account of gender, disability or race require greater scrutiny and far greater accountability.

It is hoped that this year’s March 8th theme WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP augurs well for her future. Women are forever. Not forever as in the iconic metal sculpture of a little girl defiantly facing off a charging bull on Wall Street or forever as watching Wonder Woman save the world to bring peace and end wars for mankind. But forever as the seeds of Spring, forever standing strong for herself and for others, in the words of Maya Angelou “But still, like air, I’ll rise.”

(Rekha Valliappan is a published writer of prose and poetry)