Yesterday saw women unite worldwide for International Women's Day. In many places this was to protest, to strike - against economic inequality, domestic violence, withholding of reproductive rights and so many more gender-based issues - but it was also to celebrate female achievement in all spheres of life. Events great and small brought women together and to the fore - in Italy they were given free access to all museums and cultural sites showcasing art by and about women; on a more local level, here in Cheltenham women gave a celebratory poetry reading at the University of Gloucestershire.
I was very struck by a quote from Malala Yousafzai: "I raise up my voice - not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard .. we cannot succeed when half of us are held back." It seems to me that women writers have a particular responsibility here, to use their skills and opportunities to bring out those voices that will not otherwise be heard. We may think that it's hard enough sometimes in countries that do boast "equality" to get our own voices acknowledged (even if they are heard!), but finding ways to help others speak, to raise their profile too, is surely a duty we should be only too pleased and ready to shoulder.
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