True womanhood

Did you know that International Women’s Day was first observed in the early 1900s? And I was surprised to learn that protests against gender inequality started much earlier, with the First Women’s Rights Convention being held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848.

It’s interesting to me that this was also the era in which Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) experienced profound changes in her life. She went from being a single mother struggling with chronic health problems and financial difficulties to being a well-known religious leader and the founder of a worldwide church.

Despite the inequality faced by women of her time, Mary Baker Eddy succeeded as an author, publisher, editor, healer, lecturer—all at a time when women could not vote and were considered incapable of managing their own affairs. Her book on spirituality and healing (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures) was included on the Women’s National Book Association list of “75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World.”

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