51%
The most recent survey taken by GOV.UK (taken in 2011) found that 51% of the UK population is female. This poem, entitled “51%” is my response to this:
51%
That's 51% of our corner of the earth
Who are constantly fighting to prove what they are worth
And the people they are fighting are the people at the top
And the reason they are fighting is because they cannot stop
They will not stop to catch their breath while they're climbing up the mountain
They will fight until it's finished, and what will it amount to?
It may amount to nothing but an even longer war
Raging on inside our conscience about who this fight was for
But the answer's pretty simple if you take a rest to see
That it's for the 51% of the people just like we
Notice I said "we", because we are a collective
A collective of women who are fighting for respect, and
We will stand on that podium with the 49%
Because we would have absolutely no reason to resent
If you granted us the rights that you have given to yourself
Like fair pay, but this is about so much more than wealth
We want a part in the society we're making
We are more than wives and mothers, we do so much more than baking
Yet the outdated ideas of the past keep popping up
And these outdated ideas seem intent on stopping us
From reaching up and grasping what we know we can achieve
It won't be long until we can take a pause and breathe
The new air of a better era
Where the things we're searching for are ever so slightly clearer
And our vision isn't blocked by sexism or hate
And I think it's high time that Earth got its story straight
It's not a lot to do if you take it step by step
We'll reach it soon enough, we just haven't reached it yet
51%
That's 51% of our corner of the earth
Who are constantly fighting to prove what they are worth
And the people they are fighting are the people at the top
And the reason they are fighting is because they cannot stop
They will not stop to catch their breath while they're climbing up the mountain
They will fight until it's finished, and what will it amount to?
It may amount to nothing but an even longer war
Raging on inside our conscience about who this fight was for
But the answer's pretty simple if you take a rest to see
That it's for the 51% of the people just like we
Notice I said "we", because we are a collective
A collective of women who are fighting for respect, and
We will stand on that podium with the 49%
Because we would have absolutely no reason to resent
If you granted us the rights that you have given to yourself
Like fair pay, but this is about so much more than wealth
We want a part in the society we're making
We are more than wives and mothers, we do so much more than baking
Yet the outdated ideas of the past keep popping up
And these outdated ideas seem intent on stopping us
From reaching up and grasping what we know we can achieve
It won't be long until we can take a pause and breathe
The new air of a better era
Where the things we're searching for are ever so slightly clearer
And our vision isn't blocked by sexism or hate
And I think it's high time that Earth got its story straight
It's not a lot to do if you take it step by step
We'll reach it soon enough, we just haven't reached it yet
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