On March 8, I looked at my four-year-old daughter and said, “Happy International Women’s Day!” She looked back at me and said “thanks, mom! And when is the man’s day?” My husband then quickly responded with “unfortunately, everyday is man’s day, Ruby.” And with that, she seemed very confused but then quickly went back to playing with her brother.
This short conversation really got me thinking about International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. I think most people feel like it is so important to recognize these days and months to celebrate women, but I suppose I am not most people. To me, it feels upsetting that we have to create days and months to celebrate women and their incredible achievements, success and history making moments. Why can’t people celebrate success, leadership and achievements everyday, regardless of your sex or gender? Sadly, in 2023, it really does feel like we are living in a man’s world and women are lucky to get to be a part of it.
I am beyond proud to have the opportunity to be a part of the team at Brookline, where, for eight hours each day, I feel like I am finally living and working in a world where it isn’t about singling out and celebrating women, rather it’s about praising hard working, compassionate, dedicated and talented individuals for their success, contributions, wins and achievements.
Don’t get me wrong, Brookline does celebrate these days by recognizing the incredible female clients and team members we work with everyday, but the fierce female leadership is focused more heavily on lifting each other up, helping each other out, supporting each other when it’s needed, and celebrating wins, contributions and hard ass work!
How lucky am I to be a part of something that is focused more on celebrating the incredible, exciting and interesting work we do, rather than the fact that we are women doing these things. With that, I think, instead of wishing my daughter a Happy International Women’s Day, I might just push her (and my son) everyday to follow their passions, work hard and be kind everyday. Because let’s face it, regardless of your sex or gender, we can all be leaders if we want to be.
Rebecca Hurl is a Senior Account Manager at Brookline Public Relations. She has a passion for building connections and helping create effective communications strategies for clients.