Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women's equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.
We can break the bias in our communities.
We can break the bias in our workplaces.
We can break the bias in our schools, colleges and universities.
Together, we can all break the bias - on International Women's Day (IWD) and beyond.
(IWD 2022 campaign theme)
Everybody knows March 8 as the International Woman's Day (IWD for short) or International Women -Rights- Day. This day, we celebrate our mothers, sisters, female friends and all women in general. But why even an IWD and what does it really imply? Why this specific date? And how is this day celebrated around the world?
What is IWD?
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. It is also a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women (Wikipedia).
IWD's origin and evolution:
Even if the principal event that marked the beginning of the celebration of the IWD, was in the early 19's, voices rose since the 18th century to denounce the abuses, and injustices experienced by women in the society. Here are some important dates. (If you interested, see the complete list here.)
1789: During the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" demanded women's suffrage for the first time as they marched to Versailles.
1857: The first recorded organized action by working women anywhere in the world took place in New York on March 8, 1857, when hundreds of women in the garment and textile factories staged a strike in protest of low wages, long working hours, inadequate pay, inhumane working conditions and the lack of the right to vote.
🚩PS: (There are rumors that these women were killed for protesting, but I have not found anything to confirm or deny this).
1866: The First Congress of the International Workers' Association adopted a resolution on women's professional work, thus openly challenging the tradition that a woman's place is in the home;
1908: Socialist women in the United States convinced their party to designate the last Sunday in February as a day for demonstrations to support "woman suffrage" - votes for women.
1917: On February 23, 1917 (March 8th under the old Russian calendar), in Petrograd, women textile workers began a demonstration that eventually engulfed the whole city, demanding "Bread and Peace"—an end to World War I, to food shortages, and to czarism.
etc...
At first, IWD initially had no set date, though it was generally celebrated in late February or early March. According to the UN, the modern celebration is connected to the 1917's protest. The protest date was Feb. 23 in Russia, but because the country had not yet adopted the Gregorian calendar, most of the world considered that day March 8. 60 years later, in 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as an official UN holiday for women's rights and world peace.
IWD around the world :
International Women's Day is a national holiday in many countries. In China, many women are given a half-day off work on 8 March, as advised by the State Council (although many employers don't always pass the half-day on to their female employees). In Italy, International Women's Day, or la Festa Della Donna, is celebrated by the giving of mimosa blossom. In the US, the month of March is Women's History Month. A presidential proclamation issued every year honors the achievements of American women.
The UN announced their theme for 2022 as :
“Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”
Thus recognizing the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. Note that the theme may change depending on the country and its situation.
For example, in Canada, the 'March 8 Collective' theme for IWD 2022 is : “The Future is Feminist” to highlight the need to act for a world of freedom, solidarity, justice, peace and equity. As they say : there will be other crises (speaking about the Covid-19) and to address the urgency to act, the future must be feminist, inclusive and ecological, or it will not be.
In my country (Burkina Faso), regarding of the political and security situation, International Women's Day is celebrated under the theme :
“Security and health challenges: what strategies for a better protection of women?”
As in many countries around the world, March 8 is a holiday here too. It is a day of celebration and recognition of the merit and contribution of women to the growth and development of the country. There is not so much protest march as it is the case in some countries. Here and there are organized panels on women's rights, there is also a civil, military and para-military parade organized by women, with women and for women.
If you come here on March 8, you will surely notice that many are dressed alike with the same wax type. I don't know where this tradition comes from, but it is as it is lol! Each year, as in some African countries, the Ministry of Women, National Solidarity and Family has the task of choosing a model of wax that will be worn on that day. I don't know if it has a special meaning, and yes! It is not the most important thing, but I find it pretty nice tho.
Save the date: The United Nations observance of International Women’s Day will be held virtually on 8 March, 10–11.30am UTC–5. For more see here.
So, dear reader, IWD is indeed a good day to offer flowers and gifts to the women of your life, and enjoy. But, it should also be a day of reflection and action. It's true that from the 18's to nowadays, there have been a lot of positive changes but how we are used to saying in my country #kataye. In fact,
Many women are still victims of GBV (Gender Based Violence) including verbal harassment and other forms of psychological abuse, to physical or sexual violence, and at the end of this spiral, the most extreme form: feminicide.
Inequalities between women and men persist and major obstacles remain, and a large gender gap remains in women's access to decision-making and leadership.
In education, 121 countries have closed at least 95% of their educational gender gaps and 64 countries (over one-third of the sample) have already achieved at least 99.5% gender parity. But there are still countries where the rate of women’s literacy is significantly lower than that of men: Chad only 14% vs 31.3%, Guinea 22% vs 43.6%. Similarly, in Liberia, Yemen, Mali, Pakistan, Benin, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Togo and Angola, less than 67% of the literacy gender gap has been bridged to date.
Gender inequality is also a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty. Despite some important progress to change this in recent years, women are still more likely than men to live in poverty because of the low wages, lack of decent work, unpaid care work and longer workdays, etc..
As you can see, there's still a lot of work to do.
Sources:
Michelle Obama said :
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
I wish every woman a happy International Women's day in advance. May you always believe in yourself, and believe in your strength. You have the power to do anything you want to do. Wherever you're planted, bloom with grace! Thank you for reading and see you next week for the part (2) of 7 days — Accra experience. Meanwhile, may God bless you, stay safe!
Good article.