Happy International Women’s Day

Did someone say IWD is a day to especially celebrate working women?
I say no, I say IWD is in celebration of every woman.

Statistics Canada classifies you as a working woman if you are one of those women with a paying job. That leaves out a lot of women, the unpaid caregiver looking after children and parents, the retiree living on a limited pension, and a vast number of artists and musicians, students and others who struggle daily to make ends meet.

International Women’s Day is for all of us.

All of us … Each and every one of us.

Yesterday I had a friend argue the case for working artists, those who rise and work work work all day every day then hustle hustle hustle.

She pointed out that unless I am willing to work so diligently and hustle my work I am unworthy to call myself an artist. I do agree that the more time spent working on art the better a craftsman you will become. That is still no guarantee that you will be able to earn a living wage.

As for the hustling part? I told her I would prefer to take up prostitution except that I am too old now.

That got me to thinking about what some call the world’s oldest profession. It seems “ladies of the night” would be considered working women according to Statistics Canada, and thus more entitled to be included in IWD celebrations than their wageless sisters.