That's something to be proud of because as long as women are paid less than men for the same work, occupy less than half the leadership roles in business, are overwhelmingly more frequently the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault - and in may parts of the world are treated as subordinate inferiors to men with restrictions on where they can go, what they can wear and who they may speak to without their husband's, father's or brother's permission, we all should be feminists. We need to be vigilant and fight for gender equality. That, after all, is what feminism is about, equality between men and women. I'm passionate about ensuring my granddaughters grow up in a better world than I did and that they learn from an early age that a woman can be as strong, intelligent and capable of greatness as a man.
With that in mind, while they both received other Christmas gifts from us, books also figured among their prresents. Some were simply entertaining but I included for each one book that said something more. For Miss Two and a half it was 'Not All Princesses Dress in Pink' by Jane Yolen. It's a delightful journey through all the other things a princess can do apart just wearing pretty dresses. Turns out this is not the first such book she has been given. Her other grandmother had started on this track even earlier with 'The Feminist Baby' by Loryn Brantz. Miss Soon to be Seven's book is 'Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls' by Elena Favilii and Francesca Cavallo. This contains one hundred short illustrated biographies of famous women. They range from women like Elizabeth 1 of England to scientists like Marie Curie and through to present day women like Malala Yousafzai. Both have excellent reviews so I hope they like them.
Do I have an agenda? Of course, I do. I want these girls to grow up knowing that dreams are achievable, that it may not always be easy but others have succeeded and made a difference to the world and they can, too.
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