Gloria Steinem: ‘International Women’s Day means we are still in trouble’

Prominent social activist Gloria Steinem wrote in a Variety article published on Monday that having an International Women’s Day means that “we are still in trouble.”

“There is no International Men’s Day. Only less powerful people or forgotten historical events need ‘A Day’ to be part of the present. Yet it’s an important step because any notice is better than no notice,” Steinem wrote.

The veteran feminist journalist acknowledged the progress that has been made in gaining equal rights and treatment for women, pointing to how sexual assault and harassment are reported now instead of attributed to the conduct of the victim.

Steinem also wrote of the women in her life who have had the “deepest, most continuing influence” on her: lawyer and activist Florynce Kennedy and writer Alice Walker.

Steinem gave a nod to Anita Hill who came forward with sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as well as the Me Too movement for educating the country on mistreatment in the workplace.

However, she lamented that anti-abortion efforts still continue, placing a fetus’s life above that of a woman’s. She also pointed out how pay disparities between men and women continue to occur despite legislation designed to combat unequal pay.

“Change is slow. Like a tree, it grows from the bottom up, and we still have a long way to go. But we just need to keep going and to celebrate how far we’ve come,” Steinem wrote. “We also have fun doing it. Supporting each other and finding new ways to work is the source of day-to-day change, and also of joy and community.”