As we go into March, we near a very important day to keep present. International Women’s Day, commemorated on March 8th, this day seeks to highlight and reflect on the achievements and efforts in the search for equal opportunities for women.
Let’s break down what this day is about, and why it is important!
What exactly is this day about?
This day seeks to highlight the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women in society, while emphasising their fight for equal labour and social rights for equitable and peaceful development across all communities.
The day invites us to reflect on the fundamental role women have in our population, while bringing light to the fact that this fight is still ongoing as many girls and women are still looking to close the gap for opportunities as well as trying to stop gender violence.
Why 8th of March?
On March 8th, 1908, 129 women lost their lives due to a fire in the Cotton Fabric in New York, USA, after they started a strike demanding a shorter workday, the same wage as men, and denouncing their terrible working conditions. This led to the factory owner to close the building’s stores in hope for the protest to stop. However, a fire broke out, resulting in their passing.
Consequently, the first Women’s Day was held in 1909, commemorating the events occurred.
This led to different movements to start, and the United Nations recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day in 1975.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
Established in 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a UN plan to achieve gender equality and women’s rights.
It is a roadmap with concrete goals to address 12 critical areas of concern, with a reference framework to assess how well countries are supporting women’s empowerment. Super important for the girls!
What still needs to change?
Even though there has been a lot of progress throughout the years for equality, we still have a long way to go.
Challenges like the gender pay gap, underrepresentation in leadership and violence against women are still continuously present in society.
Therefore, while it is great to celebrate all the way we have come so far, it is important to be conscious of all that still needs changing and bring awareness to the struggle's other women around the world still must face every day.
How can I participate?
Now that you know what this day is about, you might be wondering what you can do to participate.
There are various ways to engage in this important day. You can:
- Show appreciation to important women in your life
- Draw attention to areas for women’s rights that you see need development, whether it is bringing it up in conversation or posting on social media, it all helps!
- Educate yourself and others, you can research more about this topic and share it with others to know more about this topic!
- Support women in all fields
- Be an ally every day, speak up if you see there’s something wrong!
So, this is the run down to International Women’s Day, remember that even though it is a day we should strive for respect, kindness and equality every day.
Make sure to be aware of this, but especially this March 8th!
Have any more ideas on how to commemorate this day? Let us know in the comments!