WOMEN’S DAY Praise for our frontline workers…

WHILE it is true that many of our brave nursing and medical staff are male, the majority of them are women, which means it is necessary to pay tribute to their marvellous dedication over the past year.

As part of acknowledging International Women’s Day, we should rightly celebrate the contribution women make to the workplace and society in general. Right across our health service women of all ages, nationalities and job description have left no stone unturned in dealing with Covid.

From busy medical wards and ICUs, to clerical and household, the combination of effort will go in history as playing a huge role in our current crisis. Women have for centuries been at the coalface of adversity, and they have played a profound part in our success.

But women’s response to Covid, in particular, deserves special mention. The sheer professionalism of our female nurses and doctors is matched only by the overwhelming compassion shown to patients since the Covid outbreak.

They will know that the fight is still ongoing, but they should also know that their kindness and dedication will endure long after in the minds of people once we have Covid finally beaten.

International Women’s Day is about celebrating achievements, and few achievements can compare with the selfless work of our frontline workers. History will be kind to them.

LIKE so many other things in life right now, it is just not possible or practical to gather in large groups - but that still does not mean we can’t have a meaningful and worthwhile International Women’s Day in our own unique way.

We can all make an effort to mark the occasion, whether it be in our own homes through online means, which everything seems to be these days!

And, it doesn’t have to be just for the day - we could implement real and substantive goals in our homes, workplaces or voluntary organisations that capture the ideals of International Women’s Day and will leave a lasting and positive impact in the years to come.

For example, why not celebrate the achievement of women in your home or your workplace on International Women’s Day? Sometimes, we don’t take the time to mark our achievements, but International Women’s Day offers the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on all that we have achieved and offers a chance to celebrate that.

You can also raise awareness of International Women’s Day. While we are all online, if you are active on social media, why not put up a post with your hand raised and the hashtag #choosetochallenge (check out internationalwomensday. com for more details) to show your support and also raise awareness amongst your friends and followers.

Another way to mark the day, and perhaps extend it over a longer period, is to fundraise through a campaign for a female-focused charity. This will not only help in a financial sense, but also raise their visibility and amplify awareness of their efforts. Last year, International Women’s Day saw a massive sum into the six figures raised for charities.

There are a whole load of other ideas for International Women’s Day in 2021 available on www.internationalwomensday.com.