March 8th was International Women’s Day. I didn’t see any reports of celebrations in New Zealand but over the week or two before I did notice women in situations I felt were less than desirable.
The first situation I noticed was at the Auckland International Airport as I came through Immigration and Customs. A few families arriving on a flight from China had been moved to one side for additional questioning. Among the group was a mother who was heavily pregnant. Her shape suggested she would give birth very soon. I was surprised as I know airlines have regulations covering travel past the 32nd week of pregnancy. This lady seemed to be very uncomfortable. Of course I have no way of knowing why she was flying.
Then going to the supermarket to stock up on groceries after a week away I went through the serviced checkout ( too tired to “fight” with the self-checkout that particular day). The checkout operator was, just like the previous lady, very heavily pregnant and although she was seated she was barely coping with her job. I was left pondering what domestic situation she was part of that meant that she was working in a supermarket so late into her pregnancy instead of preparing for and resting before her baby’s birth.
New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote and women have equal rights with men in law. Women may work in any industry and we’ve had women in the top roles, as Prime Minister and other government ministers as well as in managerial positions in almost every business. Yet, sometimes I wonder how far we have really come?
PostScript: Some people have reminded me that pregnancy is not an illness. I totally agree but I stand by my belief that there is a time to work and a time to take a little extra rest and in both cases I’ve written about the pregnant mothers looked very tired.