Becoming a Grandmother

In commemoration of International Day of the Family last Saturday, I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my family. Meet Baby Leo, my first grandchild. Becoming a first-time grandma is a big life event. To tell you the truth, it is as huge as becoming a mother. In many ways it is easier, as I am more prepared. I have had the benefit of prior experience, of being well educated and having a social and health system around me that I can use if, and when we need. In supporting my daughter in her first frightening weeks as a first-time mom, and through a tough birth where Leo was fighting for his life - I found myself thinking of how important family is. It is the smallest unit of a social network, yet in many ways the most important. 

The role of women in this network has also advanced and changed over time. When I think of my own mother and grandmother, I think of them, living in a different time with less opportunity to be anything else than a wife and a mother. They did not have much choice. Gender equity was not even a phrase back then. Although they accepted their role in life, they did fight and make sure that their daughters and granddaughters were given more opportunities to maximize their potential in several roles in life.   

While we have come a long way regarding gender equity, we still have a long way to go. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, decades of health, gender and development improvements are at risk.  Women are suffering from the direct effects of COVID-19 and continue to shoulder heavy indirect social and economic burdens of the pandemic. The shift of funds to pandemic response, for example, is hampering women’s access to sexual and reproductive health, including gender-based violence-related services. An estimated 12 million women may have experienced disruptions in family planning services due to the pandemic, leading to as many as 1.4 million unintended pregnancies. UNICEF projects that 10 million additional girls may be at risk of child marriage and UNESCO estimates that 11 million girls may not go back to school after the COVID-19 crisis. And by 2021, according to a new analysis commissioned by UN Women and UNDP, approximately 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty. 

Gender equity was a main topic of conversation at Lives in the Balance: Equity in COVID-19 Response and Recovery held this week. You can view the event recording here. It is also a key ask in the PMNCH COVID-19 Call to Action campaign which was highlighted at the event with follow up actions on country commitments made in December 2020 as well as the announcement of new commitments from Malawi, Panama and South Africa. To learn more, visit pmnch.org. And as always, please share your thoughts below.