International Women's Day.

To me it's interesting that such a thing as international women's day has to exist. All my life I've treated women as equals. In the past there have been very awkward moments when I've been on buisiness lunches with female colleagues and the " what will your wife say?" question came up.

In my head there never was a need because there was nothing overtly sexual about grabbing lunch together. The question wouldn't arise if it was two male colleagues out for lunch, so why should it for two colleagues of the opposite sex? And in the interests of fairness, I can disclose I've gone out for lunches with Gay colleagues and the question still didn't arise.

Even though feminism has made great strides forwards, it will take a long time, maybe a couple of generations of women to feel fully equal to men.

And when i mean equal, I mean fully equal on their own terms, not on arbitrary terms specified by someoune ho says they are a feminist.

A great excample is sexual fantasies: there are a great number of women that dream of being dominated by men. That they have the freedom to explore that side of their sexuality is good. It is not exploitative, or demeaning, it is what the woman chooses to do for excitement.

A feminist would have a fit trying to explain how submitting to a man is demeaning, disgraceful, etc. without understanding the wioman choosing to explore the fantasy has the power. She is making a choice and is exploring sexual desires she wants to explore.

In the BDSM commiunity there is a phrase "consensual non-consent" where the woman wants to be overpowered and wants it to feel real. That's not to say it is real, it's just a scanario she and the male she chooses to do the exploring with are working through.

One of the vocal feminists would not understand how empowering that is to a woman. I get fed up of feminists telling other women what they should and shouldn't do, how they should and shouldn't behave. What they are saying is that other women have to conform to their boundaries, conform to their standards of behaviour, which is just as bad as if a man was telling a woman the same thing.

Equality is freedom. It's having the freedom to choose any career you like, explore any lifestyle you like, with whom you like and where you like. It doesn't require the premission of anyone, including feminists to live your life the way you see fit.

But by the same token, you cannot expect (for instance) to have a level playing field with males if you don't play the game the same. If you take 5 or 10 years out of your career then don't expect to have the same wages as a male or female that hasn't taken time out of their career.

Equality and empowermant comes with responsibility and respect. Promoting one side of the coin whilst ignoring the other is just promoting a new inequality.

Where I wish feminists would turn their attention is to those countries that institutionally degrade women. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries where the rights of women just do not exist, where women are required by law to dress a certain way. They should condemn Sharia courts in the UK where communities treat women as second-class citizens against the law of the land. They should condemn traffickers that trade women like objects for real (not sexual fantasies) and bought and sold for cash and enslaved. They should condemn countries where the life of a girl is worth less than that of a boy and a girl can be killed with impunity.

Anyway, to all women everywhere, happy International Women's day.

Now when is International Men's Day? In the spirit of equality and promotion of man's rights you understand.....