As we embark on a new decade, let us make resolutions to live in our sovereign strength. Let us claim, embrace and use our considerable power to create a world that is safe, sane, compassionate and sustainable.

The article below lays the groundwork for the very real possibility of manifesting this vision of a new way of being. We Queens have the whole world in our hands!

The Decade of the Woman Is Upon Us
By Marcia Reynolds

I’ve read lots of articles analyzing whether the Year of the Woman is alive or dead. Neither is true. There has to be a strong Year of the Woman in order to kill it, which I’ve yet to see. In truth, the Decade of the Woman is just starting. As a woman, you should prepare now for the power you will have in the next few years.

Intuit Inc. commissioned a study to forecast the trends expected to change the way women live and work over the next decade. In addition to the powerful worldwide consumer force that women represent today, factors such as urban migration, increased access to education, mobile technologies, micro-credit and low-market entry costs will create a global “she-conomy” where over one billion women will enter the workforce or start businesses by 2020. The study suggests:

    * In the next 10 years, Gen Y women across race and ethnic lines will dominate the professional workforce, expanding their roles in upper management in professional services firms and in professions such as law and medicine.

    * Women, especially those in emerging markets, will be the dominant force in the global market — taking on increased leadership responsibilities across business and education.

    * On a global scale, 970 million women who have not previously participated in the mainstream economy will gain employment or start their own businesses.

We are a force to be reckoned with. Some unconscious men and non-progressive women may try to hold us back, but we have the numbers to make a difference. If we stand together, we can also have the voice.

As we enter 2011, we should start calling the shots. We should stop trying to fit inside a man’s world. Gloria Steinem recently said, “Don’t think about making women fit the world. Think about making the world fit women.” If we live by choice — choosing to wear stilettos or flats as we please, choosing to adapt to earn respect before we make changes or to opt out and do our own thing, or choosing to work and raise a family or do them one at a time — then as the primary consumers, the world has to meet our needs. Steinem challenged women to “pursue the life choices they would most enjoy, regardless of societal expectations.”

Tomorrow: The Decade of Women – Part 2

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The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.

CONSULT THE MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™
Queen Mama Donna offers upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity.