Today on March 8th, it is International Women’s Day.It is an annual celebration dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about women’s equality, lobbying for accelerated gender parity and fundraising for female-focused charities.
We interviewed three women from Llanelli to ask them about their thoughts on International Women’s Day:
1.What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Lauren: “To me, it means recognition of the future that we’re building for women and girls. The day reminds me of how far we’ve come but also how far we have to go for equality.”
Becca: “International Women’s Day to me is about shining a light on the amazing achievements of women and of the inequalities that we still see.”
Kaiya: “To me it means celebrating and appreciating everything women have been through,have done and have achieved and expressing that in a positive way.”
2.What achievement by women or a woman inspires you?
Lauren: “Fiona O’Brien and Casey Lalonde of Girls Who Grind Coffee inspire me, they run an all-female coffee roastery that sources coffee exclusively from female producers. Their whole mission is about empowering women, and their coffee is delicious too.”
Becca: “I really admire women who take their own lived experience and turn it into a force for good, using it to change the landscape for others or to raise awareness. There’s no expectation for that to be a woman’s path, but I can’t help but admire when it happens. Nothing is more powerful than shared lived experience.”
Kaiya: “There’s thousands of women’s achievements that have inspired me. One that stands out is Billie Eilish because of how young she is and how much she has accomplished despite the odds against her.”
3.What female focused charity or mission should we know about?
Lauren: “A female-focused charity worth knowing about is Women in Sport, they believe that women and girls are missing out on the lifelong benefits of sport and want to do something about it. They research sport from the perspective of women and girls and campaign for equality in sport.”
Becca: “I want everyone to know about Welsh Women’s Aid. The work they do is outstanding.They not only run the ‘Live Fear Free’ Helpline for people affected by Domestic Violence, but also work to educate people across Wales on preventing and acting on violence against women.They work hard to create lasting change through campaigning for better protection and supportive services. They truly focus on creating a better Wales for women and girls.”
Kaiya: “I don’t know about a female focused charity, but the Free Britney movement is really prominent right now. The popstar, Britney is under a conservatorship led by her father and hasn’t had control over her own life for over 20 years.She’s a woman in her own right and one of the most prominent pop stars in the world. There is lots of campaigning going on.”
