Today is International Women’s Day, a day set aside to observe and celebrate the social, economic, and political achievements of women worldwide. Women have worked hard to achieve the status they enjoy today. They can be found in the boardroom, at the helm of Fortune 500 companies, in the courts of law, in operating theatres, and in the halls of Congress. Today, the United states boasts of its first female Vice President, Kamla Harris.

Still, gender equality remains an elusive dream for women all over the world. In some countries, girls are deprived of a formal education and women are not allowed to work outside the home. Here in the US, women are still paid lower than men. According to the Pew Research, women earned 84% of what men earned in 2020. However, this percentage varies according to age group with the smallest wage gap being among workers 25 to 34.

All this being said, women continue to make their voices heard in the workplace, in social activism, and in the home. A home without a woman/wife/mother is just a place to eat and sleep. It’s the woman who nurtures, cherishes and brings some sort of balance to the home. She fills hungry bellies, heals bruised knees as well as broken hearts, and makes sure your socks match.

On this International Women’s Day, I salute all the women out there, and especially female writers. We cannot all be a Jane Austen or a Maya Angelou, but in our own small way, we are turning out books by the hundreds —not just romances— but sci fi, suspense, detective, you name it, we write it. So, to my fellow female writers, I admire you, I applaud you, I celebrate you. Not just today, but everyday.

Read more about the great achievements of women here.

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Today, as I’m sure most of you know, is International Women’s Day. Women have made tremendous strides in every field of endeavor – medicine, education, law and other areas, however, as a writer, I was disappointed to see that there is a huge gender gap when it comes to publishing. From my research, it appears that the number of traditionally- published female authors hovers between 30 and 34 per cent. Other depressing reports show that the works of female authors are less likely to be reviewed by top reviewers such as the New York Times.

However, there is still some hope. One survey found that 68 per cent of self-published authors were female, and in that group the highest earners were romance writers. The survey also found that those who have their books professionally edited, are educated and spend more time writing tend to earn more than those who don’t. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

So, don’t be discouraged because you are a woman. Over the centuries women have overcome great odds and continue to overcome. Maybe if we approach our writing in a more professional way we could close that gap between us and our male counterparts. Happy writing.