By Rocio Arango Giraldo
COLOMBIA:
Here in Colombia, the expression “BIT Women,” is a fashionable way to describe a woman who is an achiever, intelligent and a multi-tasker. (In Spanish the acronym stands for: Berraca, Inteligente y Todera).
I have discovered that every woman is a “BIT” woman, and I’m sure that in every place around the world the situation is similar. BIT isn’t only an Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor, or Michel Bachelet, Chile’s President, women who are smart and high-profile.
I think there are BIT women who wake up early every day who work to get food for their sons. BIT women are in every place in Latin America who work and dream about the welfare of their communities. BIT are the girls that go to university only to go home later to cook dinner or work for their families.
My mom is a BIT. She is the support for her handicapped son and daughter and my workmates. She is the secretary that interrupts her work with her kid’s doctor’s appointments.
My families and friends are BIT too. We readers are BIT too. Cristina, my Cuban-American friend is BIT and so is Majo, my friend from Chile. I am BIT too since I never give up and always dream of a better future.
The week before last, I was in a meeting of the Women’s Organization of the Colombian Conservative Party in Bogotá. I was with women from every region of the country. Everybody was a leader in their communities.
We were talking about the political participation of the women and the difficulties they have getting money for their political campaigns, the fight for the rights of other women, breaking the corporate glass ceiling, and the fight for women who are victims of gender violence or discriminating social policy.
Women who attended the meeting of the Women’s Organization of the Colombian Conservative Party in Bogotá.
However, everyone agrees that while women will vote for men they don’t support other women, even though we are the majority of the population.
Not to fight for women’s rights means we don’t believe in ourselves if we don’t support female political leadership. Talk about gender is to talk about the relations of people in the social, political, public, economic contexts of their lives, not only of the different genders. It is talking about citizens.
BIT is to be mom, a professional career person, student, worker, leader, friend or lover, all at the same time, but above all — A BIT is a citizen.
Collage of Rocio and her family and friends.
If we are all these things and throughout history we have had to fight for our rights, ¿Why then don’t we believe in our own leadership?
Learn more about RocÃo:
RocÃo Arango Giraldo is 22-years-old and lives in MedellÃn Colombia. She studied Political Science at the National University of Colombia, Public Management in the Technology Institute of Monterrey in México and Policy Networks at National University of Litoral (Argentina).
She is a member of the Colombian Conservative Party, and has written for such prestigious Colombian publications as El Colombiano, El Tiempo and others. But something she is most proud of is her advocacy for people with disabilities: “I fight for the rights of disabled persons like me.”
RocÃo works in the Technology Science Park of Antioquia.
Comment(1)
AlexD
Hi, Congratulations Rocio for caring for People with Disabilities. I would like to find female friends with disabilities in Colombia. I have Learning Disabilities, 37 years old man. It’s very difficult for me to find friends, who accept me, with my disability. Can you help me to find a side in Colombia, where I can e-mail some friends. I am original from Colombia, now I live in the USA. Thanks, Sincerely, AlexD