The Power of a Woman

There are women we still admire today, even though we’ve never met them. Women from the 19th century who for the first time, dared to step beyond societal limits, risk judgment, and declare: “I can do more. I am worth more.” 

Imagine them exhausted, their hands cracked from laboring in dusty factories.

Their entry into the workforce was bold but also painful. Wages were low, conditions harsh, and the system probably thought: “They’ll last a week or two, then go back home.”

But they didn’t give up. They didn’t regret it. They chose to fight rather than retreat.

In the 20th century, they went further—demanding equal pay, equal opportunities, equal rights. And in the 1960s and 1970s, they added another layer: the right to build careers, to make choices about their own lives, marriages, and children.

The right to say: “This time, I choose for myself.” Why?

Because they were tired of depending on men. Instead of support, love, and respect, they were often met with belittlement, disrespect, and exploitation. The message was clear: “Be quiet, be good, do what you’re told as if you know better.”

Today, our lives are built on their courage. Thanks to them, we go to school, pursue careers, make our own decisions. But although that battle was won, the fight never truly ends. The enemy has just changed.

Today, many of us don’t battle society or the state—we battle ourselves. Even when financially independent, women are still underestimated and undervalued, because one enemy remains: ourselves.

Ask yourself: How much are you willing to change just to be liked? How often do you seek looks or compliments to feel worthy? How often do you dress to attract attention that feeds your ego? I call it flirting for confidence. And that’s exactly what you don’t want—a man who falls for that. These patterns can lead to dependence on a man, a boss, friends, society in general.

Often, this constant need for validation and reliance on others’ opinions of one’s worth leads to dysfunctional relationships and unhealthy partnerships.

Sadly, these patterns are everywhere women who stay in unhealthy relationships, losing touch with reality and their belief in goodness and themselves. Women who think their worth depends on their partner’s opinion. How many settle for less because they’re afraid they aren’t enough?

I know this from my own family. My mother, though employed, was completely dependent on the wrong choices. A lack of self-respect made her believe she was only as valuable as others said she was. And it started early among her siblings, she was “the weakest link.” No one taught her her worth.

We all start at different points on the path to success and happiness. If you lack confidence, self-love and inner strength, it’s all too easy to fall under someone else’s control.

The women of a hundred years ago fought the system. We fight our own fears. They marched into the streets, risking imprisonment. We stand in front of the mirror, risking the truth about our own value.

The good news? You don’t need to take to the streets with a sign to start a revolution. Be a woman who chooses herself in every choice. Relying on yourself brings freedom.

A confident woman knows her worth. She has her own opinions, doesn’t tolerate nonsense, and doesn’t need validation to know she is good, worthy, honest, beautiful and smart. She depends on herself she doesn’t wait, beg, or feel grateful to him or them.

These women radiate strength and command respect simply by being present. Others change in their presence, recognition comes naturally and they never even have to ask for it.

A strong woman knows she is enough for herself, and that is enough.