What does it mean to be a woman in 2023? – 1/3

In 2023, my two kids are 8 and 12, and I’ve been a single parent for 8 years. And what can I say? I am proud of myself for keeping everything going so far so well as a mom and a woman.

We have experienced the pandemic well together with no further mental, physical or psychological damage. It is always a strength and balancing act to get everything done (job/kids/household…) under one hat, but with a good network, a positive mindset and kids becoming more and more independent, it is doable. Never give up!

Work-life balance: we must work hard, play hard, and have time to take care of our family and ourselves.

More acceptable, with more opportunities than in the past. On many various occasions in the work environment, feminists can help reduce stressful situations.

It means simply being a person who wants to make a big or small contribution to making the lives of those around them “if only a little bit” easier.

Compared to other regions in the world, in Europe, we as women can live out: study, work, and become mothers if we choose to. I am grateful for this.

This year, as in all previous years, it will be a balancing act to perform all roles simultaneously and to perfection: Daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, life partner and of course most time-consuming employee of a company.

And this is only the bare minimum. In addition, it is considered to eat healthily, do sports regularly, build a future without financial worries on the side, dress well and generally look presentable. And what is still asked far too often in 2023: When are you having kids?

A lot has changed for women in recent years and decades. If we look back, just a few years ago, we were not allowed to vote, divorce in an unhappy marriage, or go to work without our husbands’ permission. But, over time, strong women have stood up for our rights, and I am happy to benefit from that today.

I am looking forward to the rest of 2023 because all doors are open to me. Of course, there are still issues, however, I feel comfortable and encouraged to express my opinion freely and achieve what I want.

For me personally, it feels good to be a woman nowadays because we do have more privileges, rights, and opportunities than some generations before us.

However, there are still gender topics in our society where we need more equality, for example in salaries and there are still countries in which gender equality is not a matter of course.

To be a woman in 2023 made me realise how much the world is embracing our talents and our responsibilities, more than in the past without the boundary of gender. We all are playing “the important part” equally and genderless. We need to recognise that a woman can be a mother who is also a leader in the workplace, or even a woman who runs her own business and drive the community economically.

So, I am glad and proud that women in 2023 can have more flexibility in their life and people starting to embrace it more.

In this generation, women can be in a leading position, be independent, speak up, and do things in the ways a man can do.

To be a challenger and cherish me more.

Nowadays, the number of women in leadership roles has been elevated globally in the long run. It proves that women can also be leaders if they believe in themselves and fight for their rights to create pathways into leadership.

For me, being a woman in 2023 means standing in front of a working world that has many open doors, which is moving (slowly) but step by step towards equality. I think, we women, are often still underestimated and we are told – simply because of our gender – that our opinion is less important and is put behind that of a man. But there is so much potential in us women!

But I am proud of my gender because many women are great role models in very different areas of life – not only in the world of work. I think we can be proud of ourselves for all we achieve daily. #GODISAWOMAN