This month, we celebrate International Women’s Day, both with a fabulous feature article from Sara Lara, president and founder of Women for Conservation entitled Empowering Women, Engaging Men: Shared Responsibility for a Thriving Planet, and the excellent article from Lorena Setien describing the positive trajectory of acceptance of vasectomy in Argentina and its parallel with the women’s movement.
Both are indicative of the changes we see as both men and women strive to equalize their relationships to each other through taking responsibility for more than themselves. At a time when all around us we see the erosion of the values of respect, generosity, and justice, it’s heartening to find that there are many places worldwide where the conversations are about positive masculinity and an effort for men and women to communicate and live together with compassion and better understanding. Taking care of each other, taking care of the earth, and striving toward a world where people feel treated fairly, with dignity and kindness matters even more when there are growing forces that find value only in the concept that might is right.
This month, we applaud the men and women working for gender equity, and all who are inspired to take action for someone else. This is a great month to go out and perform an anonymous act of kindness just to prove it’s a joy to be a decent human being.
Respectfully,
Dedra Smith,
Director, Special Projects
WVD.org
