By Cleofe Uy Catuday
Like the calendar that we have been keeping track of, we celebrate International Women’s Month and honor the women in our lives. The time of the year, other than Mother’s Day, when we dedicate and appreciate the hard work, synergy, leadership, and contribution of women in our society.
For many of us, women are synonymous with care. It means nurturing individuals, as it is a task in the scriptures for women to support men and for women to be subservient. This is one of the best beauties of being a woman. The expectation of being a human who is kinder in nature and one who has the natural likelihood to care. At the same time, it is a beauty in life that people, on the other hand, in some ways are expected to be gentler to women and even more understanding to women as well. Reality check is that it doesn’t happen in all cases, but I will always have the highest respect for people who have it in their hearts to do so.
It’s a beautiful reality for women especially nowadays, where women get great support from other women. As they coin it, women helping women. Women supporting women. There is so much power in this campaign and thrust. The assurance that a woman’s plight is not only her own, that other women have hearts to create collective strengths to support each other. The platforms created to be seen and for voices to be heard.
Another beauty is how women in leadership has been a goal for corporations in support for gender equality and diversity in the workplace. Organizations have been deliberate in creating leadership opportunities for women leadership roles and to strengthen mentorship approaches to improve the potential of other women. To the extent that some of our male leaders can even jokingly question how come there is not much celebration of Men’s Month. Now isn’t it a beauty to be a woman?
I personally appreciate how people are gravitated to hearing stories of women’s successes and plights of survival. How women’s care for each other creates a positive ripple effect for communities to openly do the same. As a female leader in a male-dominated industry, I have so much gratitude for the other female leaders surrounding me. For the influence, the inspiration, and the motivation to empower other women. When I think about the beauty of being a woman, it gives me joy that many of us have gone beyond physical beauty but more on the substance of what a woman can give.
In the real world, as I always say to my children, it is not all beauty that happens. It’s not all beauty that we see. Sometimes there can be envy, jealousy, frustrations, and destructions that happen between relationships amongst women. But today, I just want to thank God for the women in my life that bring beauty to my own small world. To celebrate the many women out there who openly strive to celebrate other women. Who allow other women to shine. To see the beauty in each one of us. So the pains will only become learning experiences, the scars reminders of the battles we have won, the wrinkles to remind us of how we have aged gracefully and how the life stories of each woman to remind us how uniquely each one of us have lived and how we can choose to see the beauty in a woman in more ways than one. Happy International Women’s Month to each of you beautiful women out there!
