Empowered, but still a way to go yet

You have to hand it to people sometimes and applaud the go-getters in the world. Their stories are often untold because many who do good works prefer to remain anonymous, though there are some who believe it’s important to deliver a proud and potent message.

Not for the purpose of self-aggrandizement, either. Nine times out of 10 those who are passionate enough to champion a cause do so because of a personal investment in it that defines their effort and gives it meaning beyond the cause itself.

Never mind that such intensity and willingness to communicate could motivate others. That’s often an after-thought and a coincidental by-product that’s equal parts happy accident and plain old-fashioned good luck.

What we’re talking about ultimately is empowerment. It’s one of those tricky words that means different things to different people, but the Encarta World English Dictionary defines ‘empower’ as: 1. to give somebody power or authority (often passive); 2. to give somebody a sense of confidence or self-esteem. Either way, it suggests governance and self-esteem; qualities that, surprisingly enough in this age of hard sell, many people seem to lack.

Thus, we were thrilled to cover an event last week at the Legion sponsored by Jacqui Miller-Parker and Anastasia LeFrense, the two Hants County women who are the brains behind the allempoweredwomen.com website.

The March 8 event marked International Women’s Day and LeFrense and Miller-Parker pulled off a coup in securing none other than Dr. Janine Krieber, wife of federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion, to attend and help promote the event.

Krieber is a major force not only politically but academically, and someone of her stature at a local event celebrating women and female empowerment sends a very strong message. Women have struggled historically to carve a niche in the world and there are some who would decry the need for a day to celebrate sisterhood.

However, the truth is the fight is far from over and women should applaud their relative successes and be unafraid to remind society in general that although significant gains have occurred, the battle has not yet been won.

For instance, the Women’s Dept. of the CAW slammed the federal government in a press release last week for its stance on women, indicating that currently Canada ranks 38th in the world on the male-female income gap: after Switzerland, Cambodia, Kenya and more than 30 other countries.

As well, the Harper government has cut more than 40 per cent of the operating budget from the Status of Women Canada. This amounts to a $5 million cut and the organization responsible for promoting women's economic, social, political and legal equality had to close 12 of its 16 regional offices.

Needless to say, empowerment is still an issue, so good on LeFrense and Miller-Parker, allempoweredwomen.com and those who stand tall to support women’s issues. Much has been accomplished, but there is much left to do and perhaps the Quote of the Week from allempoweredwomen.com sums it up best: "A woman is like a teabag. It's only when she's in hot water that you realize how strong she is." (Nancy Reagan, former First-Lady of the United States of America)

Would that the hot water becomes unnecessary and society acknowledges such strength.