Janet Gogerty's Blog: Sandscript - Posts Tagged "y"
Sandscript
Today is International Women's Day and across the World the idea is to celebrate achievements, inspire other women, all very laudable. The day had its origin in New York 106 years ago and in 1913 the date 8th March was set. Ironically the day is an official holiday in Afghanistan. In China the day is a holiday for women only and better than Mother's Day, flowers and appreciation are the order of the day for all women.
But we are not a minority group, in the Twenty First Century why do we need a day? Nor are we an homogeneous group; just listen to BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour or even to your own group of friends and you will find diametrically opposed opinions on everything from abortion and breastfeeding to hair weaving. Equality? Dad's push prams, who does what percentage of the housework? The daily domestic lives of people who actually have somewhere to live pale into insignificance compared with lives of crushing poverty for both sexes.
Worse, are two terrible crimes, one of which has only come to light for most of us this century and the other enabled by modern science. Female genital mutilation destroys the personal life and health of women and selective abortion prevents many girls even being born. This is no simple battle of women versus men; FMG is perpetrated by women and how long will the world continue to allow ignorance as an excuse? The uneven populations already seen in some societies result in many men, especially those who are poor, having no chance of a normal family life, no equality for them.
Like a happy marriage, civilisation requires cooperation between people, between men and women and cherishing of all children. Perhaps an International Human Being Day would be more appropriate.
But we are not a minority group, in the Twenty First Century why do we need a day? Nor are we an homogeneous group; just listen to BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour or even to your own group of friends and you will find diametrically opposed opinions on everything from abortion and breastfeeding to hair weaving. Equality? Dad's push prams, who does what percentage of the housework? The daily domestic lives of people who actually have somewhere to live pale into insignificance compared with lives of crushing poverty for both sexes.
Worse, are two terrible crimes, one of which has only come to light for most of us this century and the other enabled by modern science. Female genital mutilation destroys the personal life and health of women and selective abortion prevents many girls even being born. This is no simple battle of women versus men; FMG is perpetrated by women and how long will the world continue to allow ignorance as an excuse? The uneven populations already seen in some societies result in many men, especially those who are poor, having no chance of a normal family life, no equality for them.
Like a happy marriage, civilisation requires cooperation between people, between men and women and cherishing of all children. Perhaps an International Human Being Day would be more appropriate.
Sandscript
Today is Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, a day when the fasting for Lent was relaxed. The tradition may have originated as the annual day when people returned to their mother church or when girls in service were given the day off to visit their mothers, picking bunches of violets for them on the way home. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen Mothering Sunday to release their latest family portrait with Prince George. We can only speculate whose mother they will be taking out to lunch.
Authors have always written about mothers; from Greek Tragedies where the unthinkable can happen, to the symbol of perfect motherhood in The Bible, Mary.
In my novel 'Quarter Acre Block' the story of a family emigrating to Australia is told through the eyes of an ordinary mother and daughter.
In 'Brief Encounters of the Third Kind' Susan Dexter's daughter is far from ordinary and mother and daughter's relationship is severely tested as they face a series of strange events.
'Three Ages of Man' is the second in the Brief Encounters Trilogy. Julie Welsh is a widow struggling to bring up her teenage daughter, their lives become a lot more complicated when Julie meets a stranger.
You can read more about my three novels here at Goodreads or on my website www.ccsidewriter.co.uk
Authors have always written about mothers; from Greek Tragedies where the unthinkable can happen, to the symbol of perfect motherhood in The Bible, Mary.
In my novel 'Quarter Acre Block' the story of a family emigrating to Australia is told through the eyes of an ordinary mother and daughter.
In 'Brief Encounters of the Third Kind' Susan Dexter's daughter is far from ordinary and mother and daughter's relationship is severely tested as they face a series of strange events.
'Three Ages of Man' is the second in the Brief Encounters Trilogy. Julie Welsh is a widow struggling to bring up her teenage daughter, their lives become a lot more complicated when Julie meets a stranger.
You can read more about my three novels here at Goodreads or on my website www.ccsidewriter.co.uk
Sandscript
I like to write first drafts with pen and paper; at home, in busy cafes, in the garden, at our beach hut... even sitting in a sea front car park waiting for the rain to stop I get my note book out. We
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