What do women do all day?

I’ve lived as a female person my entire life, but I cottoned on early that the expectations placed upon me because of my gender, and the things I’d rather be doing, were not one and the same. In effect, I liked doing boy stuff and hated housework.

There’s a lot of sense in this. Plenty of people have come over to admire a new shed or other building work done by my husband. I don’t remember a single person coming over to admire the 12 loads of washing I’d done that day. (True story. Little kids plus lack of time = wash 12 loads in one day.)

But the bravery of women is often underestimated, and I’ve done a lot of things on my own where there was no man to help. I’ve hammered, sanded and drilled, painted entire houses, put together flatpack furniture, restored wood furniture, and created gardens. I’ve also earned three degrees, scaled the corporate ladder, ridden my bike everywhere to save money, bought two houses on my own, left a high-paying job to study while relying on my own finances, sold my house without a real estate agent and, here’s the biggie, I’ve even rid the house of a huntsmen spider or twenty. If anything says brave it’s that!

Of course, I don’t have a medal for achieving any of these things. As a woman I’d be less likely to get a medal for anything I do – fewer opportunities, less nominations, unconscious bias – all these things mean women have to see our achievements as rewards in themselves.

It’s not just me doing all these things, of course. Women around the world are standing up for justice and changing the course of history. Getting everyone in the family clean, fed and rested. Advocating for their children, being resourceful in times of challenge, working on their relationship with their partner. Stepping up when someone else is in trouble and needs a meal, a chat, or a shoulder to cry on.

We’re more likely to be carers than CEOs. That caring makes the world a better place. We network to manage our lives. Our social interactions are unparalleled, finding connections in order to do the incredible job we do. Jobs, really.

And … the big one. Those with a womb have grown every last human being that has ever lived.

So think about all the things you do as a woman. Make a list, in fact. You might be surprised, once you take your head out of the busy.

Then give yourself a giant pat on the back!