Not always only with our strength, but with ‘mind over body’. This particular very popular image depicts what happened during the aftermath of World War II with many countries destroyed and needing rebuilding, and when in those countries which needed the most rebuilding like for example Germany and Russia, and many more, only women were at hand to do all the hard work.

And what do we see now ? I take as an example Canada, one of the largest and typical immigrants’ continents of North America. A country that since 1812 did never have another war nor had any occupation by enemy nations, nor was forcing women into hard labor to rebuild the country. Wars as per Canadian statistics meaning battles, land battles, disputes, terrorist activity, gang “wars”. Where and when was ever an extended occupation of that country by enemy forces ? Yet Canada lacks when it comes to women’s rights.
With hard labor comes the responsibility of also standing in for one’s country and become completely liberated very quickly. Something that many men did not take to easily when it came to women’s rights. Look at the voting rights for women ( [ http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/ProvinceTerritory/ProvincialWomenRightToVote.aspx ] and women’s rights in particular [ http://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights ].
A nice action just came onto my desk: “Women on Banknotes”. By a British Columbia Activist and author Merna Foster (writer, historian, educator, public speaker) [ http://womenonbanknotes.ca/ ]. How many women have it ever made onto a Canadian banknote. Except Royalty.
My long time experiences having lived in Western Canada, Alberta, and having had the privilege to encounter many hard working women, have made me realize how important the women’s rights movement was and still is. Not to forget, my first hand experiences as a longtime employee in Alberta’s oil industry and the discrimination within that industry against female professionals and workers. This must stop !
{See also some of my previous posts: https://renataveritasopinion.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/sexual-crimes-in-the-military/ ; https://renataveritasopinion.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/women-in-construction/ ; http://renataveritashistory.com/2014/05/26/we-can-do-it-women-in-construction/ }