International Women's Day today has women in the southeast appreciating how far women have come in the last 100 years.

Debbie Penner, owner of Rhyme or Reason Cafe in Steinbach, says the life she knows has been shaped by strong, influential women and not only changed her life, but also the life of her daughter. Penner notes this can be seen in the way women are now allowed to vote and the glass ceiling has slowly started to rise.

Penner says her business could be seen as more of a traditional role because it involves cooking and serving. She adds there is also the business side which she has experience in from previous jobs in finance.

Left: Debbie Penner; Right: Abby Peters"Even in my early lifetime, those opportunities were there," notes Penner in regards to different job opportunities. "My first job, it was a well known fact that you got to a certain level and then after that those jobs were for men. It was super frustrating because I had ambitions to go to that level but knew it wasn't open to me. Just to have that put on you, that this is it, this is as far as you can go, it's depressing and demotivating."

Abby Peters, a real estate agent at Century 21 says it's important that women are recognized for all that they've done, not only in the workplace but also those who chose to stay at home and raise their children. Peters notes she has not felt held back in her career because she's a women.

"These days things are shifting quite a bit and people are open to women working. They've accepted us really well and I haven't dealt with any resistance at all, which has been really nice."

Penner says she feels the stigma is always going in the right direction but gets there through hills and valleys. She notes she has known strong, capable women in corporate positions but they have had to claw and scratch their way to the top.

"International Women's Day is a reminder to be grateful for those women that went ahead of us," adds Penner. "We're no smarter than those women 100 years ago, they just had that glass ceiling on everything they did, they influenced behind the scenes." 

International Women's Day started in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.  The first official celebration was on February 28, 1909.  Around the world celebrations can range from respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration of women's economic, political and social achievements.  In some areas the political theme has stayed strong and struggles of women are brought out and examined.  In other areas it has lost that political nature and become an occasion much like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day where men express love to the women in their lives.