Today being International Women’s Day, four leading women of the ruling One Bermuda Alliance have collaborated on a message for the fairer sex of Bermuda, under the global campaign theme “be bold for change”

Be bold for change.

Recognise your self-worth and know your value. Let no one diminish your spirit.

Be prepared to seize opportunity when it presents itself. Remember that “luck” is where preparation meets opportunity.

Understand that at times life will behave like a rollercoaster: there will be hills and valleys along your journey. When in the valleys of life, hold fast to your belief in yourself, certain in the knowledge that “this too shall pass” ... and when on the hills, appreciate the view, celebrate your accomplishment and cherish the feeling of your achievement ... but remember that this too may pass.

Always be assured, however, that you have what it takes to ride out those not-so-smooth times. Be bold in acknowledging your uniqueness, the collective manifestation of the DNA of our foremothers and fathers, shaped and refined by time and the circumstances of our lives.

If presented with the chance to be first, to be a pioneer, be bold enough to take it. If you feel fear, use it to safely guide your path. Always be mindful that others may be looking to you to forge a path for them to follow.

Boldly move forward, encouraging others to join you. Enjoy your journey as you travel towards your destination.

You are bold. We are bold. It is within our power to effect change for good.

Be bold for change.

Amid the misogyny that was the status quo, our women, with bold determination, stepped forth to demand our rightful places and make our presence felt to create the change that was necessary for a wholesome, compassionate and sensitive community. We set standards for younger women to emulate by demanding the respect that brought us out of the doldrums of subservience to the pinnacle of equality.

We take pride in our successes, confident in our belief that the best of the change is yet to come. We will be bold as the journey continues.

Be bold for change.

Being bold. Bold enough to go against all odds, to persevere and to succeed. It’s an understatement to call women an important fabric of our society — we have birthed nations and still very much are the backbone of the family. We are entrepreneurs, we are mothers, we are bosses, we are wives, we are sisters, daughters and we are leaders. Our young women stand on the shoulders of giants. We recognise that we drink deeply from wells we did not dig, but we must continue to lead in every way. Lead like Dame Lois Browne-Evans, Dame Pamela Gordon, Dame Jennifer Smith, Louise Jackson, Mary Prince, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama.

As women, we share not only a bond based on “sisterhood” and “womanhood”, but we share our strength. There are more women coming up and coming through their challenges than ever before, using their powerful voices to say “no more!” to their abuser, “I want equal pay!” to their employer and “I can do it!” to everyone who will hear. We are who we have been waiting for; this is a celebration and recognition of us, by us and for us. We are bold.

Be bold for change.

Being bold means having the courage to go beyond and push farther than what even you think you are capable of. Being bold means moving forward, with conviction, when all others are retreating. For far too long, women have been expected to subordinate their dreams, goals and opportunities to those of others; and, in particular, to men. The time has come to stop letting our lives be derailed and disrupted by the needs and wants of others, and the only way we can change this phenomenon is by being bold and taking the central, purposeful place in our own lives, and stop relinquishing who we are and what we need and want to someone else.

Slow, but steady, progress has been made on closing the gender gap in education, economics, health and politics. However, the reality is that there is still a very long way to go before the world sees anything close to gender parity and equity for women. We must continue to work towards getting all women on equal footing with men, and the best place to start is education. We have to build holistic and inclusive learning environments for our girls and young women because better-educated women tend to be healthier, earn higher incomes and make better decisions. We have to educate our girls so that they can boldly and confidently move forward to take up those professions that have been dominated by men long enough. We have to educate our girls to be bold and to have the courage to speak up and demand change in our schools, on the job and in the boardroom. We don’t have to continue to compete with men to prove that we are just as good or better.

We are agents of change and empowerment, and we must help all women overcome poverty, cultural norms and practices, sexual harassment and sexual abuse. As a woman, I want rights that preserve my dignity and eradicate the senseless need to always have to prove myself worthy of respect. The time is now. We are not here to be an ornament that hangs off a man’s arm. We are the full circle, and inside each and every one of us is the power to create, nurture and transform.

Women are selfless givers to others — whether it be to a boss, a child, a husband, a lover, a parent or a friend. On this International Women’s Day, we want all women to give themselves the gift of boldness because bold women can change the perspective of society. We have greater opportunities now for pursuing our own goals than at any other time in history. Let us collectively bring down every taboo that society has imposed upon us and be the best version of our true selves, without regret.

Senator Lynne Woolridge is the chairwoman of the One Bermuda Alliance, Patricia Gordon-Pamplin the Minister of Home Affairs and MP for Paget West (Constituency 23), Nandi Outerbridge the Minister of Social Development and Sport, Chief Whip and the MP for St George’s West (Constituency 2), and Leah Scott the Junior Minister of Education and MP for Southampton East Central (Constituency 30)