A Woman’s World

“It’s a man’s world…but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl…” These words were sung by Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Some may say the song is sexist but I think it underlines the importance of women in the world. International Women’s Week is now upon us and The Fat Dubliner doesn’t want to miss the opportunity of praising the fairer sex, not that I’d dare. Women matter.

In Ireland women are working in nearly every sector of life. Politicians, actors and countless occupations contain a high proportion of women. Journalism, my only talent, is full of women. Miriam Lord, Fionnuala O’Connor, Justine McCarthy and Katherine Holmquist are only a tiny number of what amounts to a rich selection in Irish life. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if, in a short time, most Journalists here were female.

Maud Gonne, Countess Markievitz and Lady Gregory were important figures in Ireland’s past and it would be impossible to tell our history without mentioning such women. They were as important as O’Connell or Parnell. It has often been said that women are, generally speaking, more intelligent than men. This is true. All you have to do is look at the world’s dictators, past or present: Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Mugabe – all men. Women are not at the top of the crime leagues either and virtually no rapists or sex offenders are female.

Only last week, in the British House of Commons Harriet Harman stood in for Gordon Brown at Prime Minister’s Questions. You could hear the barracking from the, largely male, Conservative benches. The behaviour towards women politicians is disgracefully juvenile and it’s lamentable that it continues in 2010.

Though women are treated with growing respect in the west, this is not so in countries such as Afghanistan where they are subjected to what amounts to slavery. All one has to do is read Åsne Seierstad's ‘The Bookseller of Kabul’ to understand the awful conditions women live under. If the multinational forces could end the persecution of women, along with the Taliban, it would be a positive step.

Women are vital to humanity and if anyone has a girlfriend, sister, mother or daughter alive you should let them know how important they are to you. A woman’s heart is a wonderful prize to win.