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International Women's Day has been celebrated every year since the early 1900s and this year it will be taking place on Thursday 8 March.
Millions of women are still battling against poverty, discrimination and unequal access to education, training, credit and technical assistance.
If given the opportunity women everywhere will work like champions to develop better lives for their families and communities. (http://www.womensaid.org 2007) This article aims to introduce International Women's Day (IWD) and give an insight into the meaning of this day and the women's liberation issues behind it.
Women Watch describes IWD as 'a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.
It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.'
IWD has been celebrated across the world since the early 1900s and began with small-scale protests and campaigning with the first IWD held in the United States on 28 February 1909.
Today many global corporations, such as Google and HSBC, to name only two, support IWD by sponsoring events. IWD is also now a holiday in many countries across the world such as Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
A popular misconception by many individuals within society is that feminism is an out-dated concept in times where women and men have already reached equality.
Well, haven't they? If you are one of the individuals that shares that opinion then read on to find out the reality of life as a woman in today's world.
In the UK
There is still a significant gender pay gap in Wales and across the whole of the UK.
In the UK it currently stands at 17% in full-time work and in Wales the figures are 12% in hourly earnings and 31% in part-time work.
Every minute in the UK the police receive a call from the public for assistance for domestic violence.
Women's representation in Parliament is only one in five.
Across the world:
70% of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty are women and children.
One in seven women in Ethiopia die in pregnancy or childbirth (it is 1 in 19,000 in Britain).
Gender-based violence across the globe causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war put together.
Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours, yet own less than one per cent of the world's property.
In many poor countries women still have great difficulties in getting a basic education, finding a job, or having fair control of household income.
As these statistics show, everyone is still affected by gender inequality, if you are a woman and work you WILL be subject to a pay gap. If you are a man that has a mother, sister, daughter, or girlfriend (as just some examples) would you be happy that they could be subject to domestic abuse at some point in their lives? On a global scale the reality of equality is bleaker and women can find difficulty in getting access to things that here we may deem everyday, such as education and jobs.
So this evokes the question - are we all equal now? IWD allows for recognition of the significant contributions that women have made and continue to make to society and the progress that has been made in the field of women's rights. However, it is also a time for reflection on the challenges that still lie ahead for the women's movement; for contemplation of the fact that there is still nowhere in the world where women can claim to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men.
Despite the significant progression towards it, in the UK and other developed countries, gender equality is far from established across the world as resonantly illustrated by the above statistics.
The need to fight for equal human rights regardless of gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation or disability is more apparent than ever. If you believe in equality for all then women's liberation IS relevant to you. IWD gives us an opportunity to view this from a wider perspective, further than our immediate surroundings, to recognise the world that we live in is far from equal and NOW is the time to do something about it.
'So make a difference, think globally and act locally!!! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls and women is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.'
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