The theme of International Women’s day 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” On social media, we will be using the hashtag #choosetochallenge to share our support and contribution on this celebratory day. The recognition of women's voices is absolutely fundamental to our national and international recovery plans. COVID-19 has impacted our women and girls, highlighting the inequalities we face. In order to contribute towards reducing these inequalities in a COVID-19 world, we must increase women’s access and action in leadership roles. However, there are still profound obstacles women face within the cultural, socio-economic and political sector.
The history behind International Women's Day (IWD) by Marina
March 8 marks International Women’s Day. On this day the world celebrates all women, their rights and accomplishments no matter their national, ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic or economic background.
The first-ever Women’s Day dates back to February 28, 1909. This day was designated by the Socialist Party of America in honour of the events of the same day, a year prior. On February 28, 1908,15 000 women protested exploitation and horrific working conditions of the garment industry in New York.
In 1910 an International Socialists Women’s Conference took place, as a consequence of the US events gaining global influence. The delegates of the conference counted 100 women from 17 different countries. An annual Women’s Day was established but no specific date was yet decided. The following year marked the first International Women’s Day, with more than a million people taking part in rallies all over Europe.
The International Women’s Day as we know it, with March 8 as its date, was adopted by the United Nations in 1975, the International Women’s Year.
Why does this day matter? by Murren
Some people ask me, why? Why are you a feminist? Why does this day matter? Because women have rights... We are equal... BUT, I respond, we are just not there yet. This day matters because there is still a lot to be done. This day matters because we are following the footsteps of the women that fought for our rights 100 years ago. The first march was about equal rights, equal pay and an end to exploitation. These aims are still relevant today because our rights are not secure. Despite our efforts, reproductive rights are being threatened and domestic violence has yet to end. We stand here today for ourselves, the women in the future and the women in the past that fought for the rights we have today.
Some women may feel that they have not encountered situations of discrimination, harassment or faced systemic barriers. However, this is the reality many women are being faced with around the world. IWD is an opportunity to acknowledge the variety of challenges faced by all women worldwide and stand in partnership with them.
In the light of COVID-19, new barriers have emerged in addition to pre-existing social and systemic barriers to women’s participation and leadership. There has been a rise in domestic violence, unpaid care duties, unemployment and poverty. To uphold women's rights and support the potential of women preparing and responding to the pandemic, the perspectives and voices of women and girls must be integrated in the implementation of policies and programmes in all stages of our response and recovery amidst the pandemic.
Please have a look at this website publishing emerging gender data of COVID-19:
What happens on IWD around the world? by Murren
Around the world, this International Day is celebrated and used to bring awareness through activism weeks, events, marches, lectures, etc. The UNICEF Student Team Maastricht helped contribute to the Feminist Activist week (1 - 7th March) and IWD March organised by a variety of organisations based in Maastricht. More information can be found on our social media. Each year the world inspires more women to celebrate their achievements, support organisations towards achieving their goals and drive nations to establish more gender equal societies.
IWD is an official holiday in many countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.
How will IWD help us move forward? by Marina
By celebrating Women’s Day we shed light on women’s achievements and underline the importance of the fight for gender equality. As Marie Curie said, “We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.” Like her, many exceptional women inspire and empower young girls, all around the world, to stand up for themselves and pursue careers they dream of, showing the world what they are capable of. International Women’s Day allows the global society to acknowledge the contribution women make to our world.
And while it is far too early to claim that gender equality has been achieved, positive initiatives and solutions, tackling this deeply rooted societal issue, cannot go unnoticed.
One of these initiatives is led by UN Women, the global champion for gender equality, which strives to “develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential”. Established to accelerate the process of meeting women’s needs worldwide, the organisation does not fail to provide an array of different programmes calling for the elimination of barriers to equality and gender bias and opportunities for raising awareness and educating on the matter.
Beginning its operating in 2011, UN Women’s work and international involvement brought important changes in many problematic fields. One of their main thematic areas is ‘women in leadership and political representation’. The organisation advocates for legislative and constitutional reforms through which women are ensured fair access to political spheres.
Moreover, UN Women took part in several influential international commitments to women’s representation in leadership and politics. “The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women upholds women’s right to participate in public life, while the Beijing Platform for Action calls for removing barriers to equal participation. The Millennium Development Goals measure progress towards gender equality in part by the proportion of women in parliamentary seats”. These efforts show that every day can be a step towards an equal society. In 2017 alone, UN Women trained 7000 women leaders, elected public officials and aspiring candidates in 32 countries all around the world. In addition, 43 countries with a combined population of 1.48 billion women increased budget allocations for gender equality. 52 countries with a combined population of 1.5 billion women strengthened legislation addressing violence against women and girls. Progress is visible and here to stay.
March 8th is International Women’s Day. But in order to make a real change, the world needs to accept and embrace that every single day is Women’s Day.
How can you get involved? by Murren
You can get involved by simply talking to others about International Women's day and why it matters to you, re-sharing an IWD event or post on social media, attending an event or even volunteering for an organisation supporting IWD. There is a global network of diverse activity connecting women worldwide from political rallies to business conferences, to networking events, fashion parades and so on. There are many global corporations but also local corporations you can actively support in a variety of ways.
For example, here in Maastricht, the local organisations involved in organising the International Women's day March were UNICEF Student team Maastricht, Feminists of Maastricht, Amnesty International, Anti-capitalist feminist collective and Dionyx. You can show your support and initiative through following them on social media, attending their events, volunteering or applying as a member of the organisation.
Strike a pose to the #choosetochallenge
The colours of IWD: Green and Purple by Murren
The main colour that represents International Women's day is purple. Historically, purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity. These are the core values that IWD aims to achieve for all women across the world. Green is a symbol of hope. Combined, these colours symbolise the feminist movement. You can show your support by wearing these colours today.
Please find more information here:
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