21/05/2026
“I don’t like International Women’s Day – Is that wrong?”
My best friend Rebecca, a farmer, said this to me recently and then…
“I can’t put the words to it, but there’s something about it that doesn’t sit right.”
To be honest, I agree with her. There is something that doesn’t quite sit right.
When I look at the women I’m proud to call my friends, there is a common thread. Strength, yes. Independence, absolutely. But also challenge. Real challenge.
Many of them run their own businesses or have done. None of them see themselves as victims, and none expect special treatment because they are women. They have simply got on with things, adapted, and built lives they are proud of.
But that strength has not appeared in a vacuum.
It has been shaped by experiences, barriers, expectations, and at times, having to work harder to be heard, to be taken seriously, or to create opportunities that were not readily there.
That is the part that does not quite sit right.
Because while I admire the resilience, I also recognise that not everyone has the same starting point, the same support, or the same ability to just “get on with it”. So this is about both.
Celebrating the women who show up, who build, who lead, who support others, often without recognition. And also acknowledging that there is still work to do, here in the UK and beyond, to make that path less difficult for the next generation.
Strength should be a choice, not a requirement whatever your gender.
Yes, I am fortunate to live in the UK, standing on the shoulders of such giants as Emaline Pankhurst, but equally those of us who do have a responsibility to demonstrate that given the opportunity, women don’t need special treatment to succeed.
For all the many people I have said “my best friend’s a pig farmer” to, here she is. On this occasion I think it’s grease on her face. I have seen and smelt much worse. 🤣🐖💩
