Superwomen

In my previous article "Unicorn" I mentioned that there were already plenty of superwomen. 

​I had to mention a few, so here's the first article in a series about brave women.
 
Today is the 14th of July or Bastille Day, the national day for the French. To celebrate this event, as a very old tradition firemen organise a ball in their fire stations all around the country.

I grew up in a fire station, as a fireman's daughter, I know very well how difficult it is to be a firefighter. If these firemen are often considered heroes, well these firewomen are superwomen!

Prove her worth in a man's world is never easy, no matter what the job is.
 
The last time I went to San Francisco (U.S.A.), I discovered the photograph of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a teenager who became an honorary member of a San Francisco brigade in 1859, after helping firefighters on a fire.

Women have always helped put out fires, whether in the countryside or in boarding schools. Their participation had increased during the two world wars, yet most countries in the world didn’t recognise firewomen as professionals until the 1970s.
 
Joey Lawrence @joeyldotcom, a Canadian photographer based in New York paid tribute to New York firefighters in a series of remarkable portraits. One of them is the portrait of Jackie Martinez, she was the 29th woman to join the fire department in 2006. Today, New York has 72 women against 11,000 men!

In the United States, there are today more than 6,500 professional firewomen and approximately 40,000 female volunteers.

In France, firewomen were finally accepted by a decree of 1976. In 2016, about 14% of the volunteer and professional workforce are women (36,000 women), but only 3% are officers.

Fifteen years ago, India accepted the first female firefighter, end of 2017 they were about 3,000. In addition, this year, a new milestone, a woman took her duties as a firefighter in an Indian airport.

Courageous women who brave prejudices and push back the limits of intolerance and inequality. Women who accept their dreams and fight to achieve them.

Finally, a hero is like an angel, he has no sex when it comes to saving lives. So, let's pay tribute to those women and men who risk and sadly give their lives for us!
 
I also want to wish a Happy Birthday to my friend Axelle, another important woman in my life.
 
Have a good Bastille Day everyone!
 
Song: Free by Emeli Sandé