Happy International Women's Day! I'm not ashamed to admit that I had completely forgotten about this until the Google Doodle of the Day reminded me this morning.

Obviously, we have a lot of work left to do. As this wonderful two-minute short film, starring Daniel Craig and narrated by Judi Dench, amply demonstrates.



There are a lot of shocking figures revealed in this video, which was produced by Equals?. Like the fact that worldwide, women do 2/3rds of the work, but earn only 10% of the income, and own only 1% of the property. My take-away from the video, judging by Craig's expression as he takes off his wig and earrings, is that even James Bond isn't tough enough to be a woman in the year 2011.

Also, Judi Dench is, like, the best thing ever. EVER.

Also also, Daniel Craig doesn't ordinarily do much for me. But Daniel Craig in drag is super hot, and I would totally ask someone to hang onto my feminist credentials while I hit that. (I picture this process being a lot like in the cop movies, where the cop takes off his badge and gun and is all "NOW WE CAN FIGHT." But, like, not.)

Don't really know what that says about me. Don't really care. Suspect I'm not alone in that. Moving on!

There is a lot of ignorance and selfishness and kyriarchical imperative in the world. Not to mention all the ugliness that's going down in places like the Congo right now. Closer to home, women made gains towards salary parity last year - from earning 75% of a man's wage, up to earning 80%. (No word on the racial break-down on those numbers. As I've noted before, it's an oft-overlooked fact that women of color earn substantially less on the dollar than white women.)

But you know what? Things could be worse. Things could be a LOT worse. In fact, things WERE a lot worse, but they got better because our mothers and our mothers' mothers fought hard to change them.

Thanks to the efforts of the generations of women who came before me, I'm legally allowed to vote and own property. I can speak my mind without fear of official persecution. I can get as much education as I want, and even if I tapped out after getting a Bachelors' degree, that was my choice. I can wear pants, and drive a car, and go to the grocery store unescorted, and scoff aloud if someone says something stupid and sexist, and if I'm assaulted - sexually or otherwise - I can go to the police and file a report and press charges.

That's a relatively new freedom, historically speaking. And I know we're still working a lot of kinks out of the system. (That's my deadpan humor: did you like it?) But there are a lot of countries where that's still not the case, where violence against women is just part of daily life, and where there is no recourse.

So on this International Women's Day, let's raise a glass to the women who brought us here, and spare a thought for all the women who still need our help, both at home and abroad.