I have been busy plus today, but I refuse to neglect my writing just because I am exhausted. A day spent with electricians, cable guys, deliveries, and trying to replace all the things that were lost in our recent move has left me with little energy, but I do want to make sure to post before I go to bed. I have kept it short, but here it is: an essay, a celebration, a tribute.

TRIBUTE

I don’t have much to say tonight. I am running down, and must have my batteries changed, or something. But I will write, and what I write tonight is a tribute to women who have made a difference throughout history. Women celebrated, and women unsung. Women who have worked to make the world better for someone, even if only for their own families, and done it without a lot of thanks. Women who have suffered abuse for their efforts, women who died for what they believed in, women who lived for what they believed in. Some of these women were consciously part of the greater something known as the women’s movement, though they might have been part of it before it was called that. Some of these women agreed with many of the goals of the women’s movement, but never considered themselves part of it; they were just doing what they did, and in so doing, opened doors to other women. Some of the women actually mocked and put down the women’s movement, but their words and their actions and their beliefs were firmly grounded in it…though they would never admit that.

Since the beginning, the world has relied on women. Women often worked in the background, cooking, rearing children, keeping the home functioning. Without women, all the celebrated actions of the men would not have happened. It started when women gave birth to them, but it didn’t end there. Women shaped men’s lives in many ways, and inspired men…or pushed them…to great achievements. How many know the name of Emma Darwin? Her famous husband, Charles, is rightly celebrated for his contributions to science, but her contributions were as great. Charles needed a lot of care, even more than most men, and she was up to the job.

Other women are even more in the background than Emma Darwin. Many of them are unknown at all. They lived in the shadows of famous husbands, brothers, sons, or employers, and ensured their life moved smoothly so they could devote themselves to work. You often hear of the lone, solitary genius, but that isn’t quite the whole story. Most lone, solitary geniuses were surrounded by women who took care of them. Women who didn’t get anything for it, because it was expected. It was what women did. In fact, many jobs in science go to married men for just that reason; a married man can stay late at the lab and work on research long into the night, knowing someone else is looking after the house, the children, the food, the clothing…everything he needs, but doesn’t appreciate in many cases. How many married women can expect the same?

But it isn’t just in the relationship to men that women have contributed. There are many women, famous and unknown, who have contributed to the greater good of society. Women have been scientists since…well, forever. And mathematicians. Hypatia, the librarian at Alexandria, was a brilliant mathematician…until she was brutally killed by the Christians because she was a pagan. Hedy Lamarr, mostly known for being beautiful, was a talented inventor; the things she invented made much modern technology possible, including WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. She was mostly known for her beauty; her inventions escaped notice by much of the press, and her admirers.

Women have also contributed in other fields. Medicine. Law. Philosophy. Literature. Agriculture. Education. Computers. Economics. Aeronautics. I could go on, but I would hate to list every occupation women have been in…I promised to write only a short piece. Women have helped to build the world we all live in, and have helped maintain it, often without pay, often without recognition. They have worked with husbands and on their own. They have worked in soft conditions and in hard ones. They have been trail-blazing pioneers, or have followed other women’s lead to go further and add to already existing knowledge and techniques.

All of this has been done in spite of society’s expectations, not because of them. Men contribute and achieve because it is expected of them, and encouraged. Women contribute and achieve in spite of the fact that it is expected they won’t and they are discouraged. For every obstacle thrown in the path, there is a woman waiting who is strong enough and smart enough to climb over it and join the men on the other side…or lead a whole new field of women into places no one has ever gone.

The moral of this story? Don’t underestimate women.