Sadly, there seem to be no numbers available to quantify the power of the 4th annual Women's March in Washington D.C. this past January. But according to the always-accurate Washington Post, roughly 700,000 women took part in the 2019 event. That’s 700,000 women who spent hours making arrangements, crafting clever signs, dressing for the weather, traveling to their rallying points, marching till their feet hurt, saying their fond farewells and making their ways home.
Would it be fair to say that, on average, each woman invested 20 hours of time in the effort?
Let’s say it would be, and do the math: 700,000 women x 20 hours each = 14,000,000 woman-hours – the equivalent of 7,000 women working full time for a year.
Far be it from me to judge their motives. I’m sure most of the marchers thought they were doing something good for women today and for generations to come – protecting “choice,” advancing the cause of equal pay for equal work and possibly comparable worth, making paid parental leave a right for partners, and supporting any number of other “women’s issues” that they believe can impact our quality of life.
There’s just one problem: This tremendous show of unity will have exactly zero impact on our legislators, who were elected to office by voters who may not share the marchers’ views.
In the end, it was pretty much a complete waste of time, energy and money.
May I make a suggestion? If you were among the 700,000 marchers, why not consider investing your resources in activities that will actually help those in need?
Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen to feed the hungry. Raise money for the Rescue Mission to house the homeless. Become a Big Sister to a girl who needs extra love and guidance. Teach someone to read. Or my favorite, share your love with the neglected elderly. I'm sure some of these activities are possible even now, as we wade through the dregs of our latest existential threat; but it'll be over soon, and it's never too early to start planning how you, too, can make a real difference in this world--or, even better, in the life of one needy person.
Just think how much good could be accomplished if 14,000,000 women-hours were to be invested in works such as these!
Would it be fair to say that, on average, each woman invested 20 hours of time in the effort?
Let’s say it would be, and do the math: 700,000 women x 20 hours each = 14,000,000 woman-hours – the equivalent of 7,000 women working full time for a year.
Far be it from me to judge their motives. I’m sure most of the marchers thought they were doing something good for women today and for generations to come – protecting “choice,” advancing the cause of equal pay for equal work and possibly comparable worth, making paid parental leave a right for partners, and supporting any number of other “women’s issues” that they believe can impact our quality of life.
There’s just one problem: This tremendous show of unity will have exactly zero impact on our legislators, who were elected to office by voters who may not share the marchers’ views.
In the end, it was pretty much a complete waste of time, energy and money.
May I make a suggestion? If you were among the 700,000 marchers, why not consider investing your resources in activities that will actually help those in need?
Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen to feed the hungry. Raise money for the Rescue Mission to house the homeless. Become a Big Sister to a girl who needs extra love and guidance. Teach someone to read. Or my favorite, share your love with the neglected elderly. I'm sure some of these activities are possible even now, as we wade through the dregs of our latest existential threat; but it'll be over soon, and it's never too early to start planning how you, too, can make a real difference in this world--or, even better, in the life of one needy person.
Just think how much good could be accomplished if 14,000,000 women-hours were to be invested in works such as these!
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