Do you know how International Women's Day inspire women all over the globe? How is Home baking moving from a side hustle to a full-time career? Let's take a sneak peek. International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th every year. But only when my news feed or calendar notifications pop up, I take notice. Personally, it has never been of much importance to me, but reading a little more into it, helped me understand why such a day was born. Let's look at the origins, shall we?

Backstory

International Women's Day was first observed on February 28th, 1909, in New York City by the Socialist Party of America. The Date was later changed to March 8th according to the Gregorian calendar in the year 1910 by delegates at the International Socialist Women's Conference in Copenhagen. The aim was to gain women's right to vote in the public election - something I've often taken for granted. Another aim was to have equal rights for women in a society with a wide gender gap in pay and power. The change hasn't been easy, and the world we see around today is better than it was a century ago. Today our achievements are celebrated, our voices heard, and our presence felt in society.   According to the International Women's Day website, it aims to

• celebrate women's achievements
• raise awareness about women's equality
• lobby for accelerated gender parity
• fundraising for female-focused charities

The new normal

I have been quite content to live in my world where it's just me, my problems and my interests. But I have been forced to think more rationally with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Has it done the same to you? As I have adjusted to the new normal and the challenges it has thrown to me. All around us, new challenges have arisen; job layoffs, drastic pay cuts, business closures and many more. Building an alternate source of income is a real challenge today; pandemic has been brutal on our communities as a whole. Working women primarily have borne the sever brunt of the pandemic, added responsibilities of childcare, family, kids education have suddenly risen, along with the pressure of their full-time jobs. Women seem to have to work even harder than their male counterparts to get a say at their workplaces and home.  

Home Baking an opportunity amid despair

With all the bad news swirling about right now, I've been able to see green shoots in the cracks on the proverbial sidewalk. Man is naturally resilient, and we (women) seem to have an innate ability to make lemonade out of lemons. Lockdown and quarantine have been rewarding too many enterprising individuals. They have managed to use this time creatively to express themselves; videos and images of such individuals are all around Youtube and other social media platforms. Our community got the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and others on a deeper level. I took the time to make lifestyle changes like more exercise and meditation. I also brush up on the hobbies that have grown rusty with the busyness of our lives.   All around me, I've seen innovative ways of food delivery, the revival of home-cooking #quarantinecooking, and many other lifestyle changes among people.

Lockdown Home Baking

I've noticed a lot of activity in the area of food and beverage preparation. Home bakers have risen in popularity significantly. Many women professionals who saw salary cuts or job losses have taken up home baking to support their income. They have stormed the arena with their signature baked delicacies and are feeling empowered.     But why home baking? And why it appeals to many young women?

1. Stress buster- I think you'll agree with me on this; uncertainty and fear loomed over us at the start of the pandemic. We didn't have any outdoor activities on the agenda; Home baking seemed to fit the activity bill.
2. It helped take the edge off (a sort of therapy, perhaps?) as well as helping us keep occupied at home.
3. Lucrative- I mean, what else can one do with an abundance of baked goods in the house? Selling them to neighbours and friends seemed like the best thing to do - for wallets as well as waistlines!

  These are just the reasons many took home baking during the pandemic; however, turning home baking into a business, it's has been happening for well over a decade in India and even longer in other parts of the world.   The Home Baking community has grown in popularity over the years. It has given many women (even men) entrepreneurs a creative outlet to increased financial independence. For women, it's been a way to show their culinary skill and gain financial independence. It is also supporting to elevate the standard of living of the family. It increases the presence of women in the marketplace and gives us a sense of confidence in our professional skills and business acumen. Increase women participation in society nicely blends with International Women Day aims, which looks to celebrate all kinds of achievement by women. So this Women's Day, look out for any upcoming home baker in your city. Promote her work and be her patron. BakeHoney, help promote home bakers by giving them a place to showcase their work and gain a wider clientele.