That special day we celebrate women
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Every year on March 8, we make a conscious decision to celebrate women. Their achievements. Their unique characteristics. Their unquenchable thirst for excellence. Their formidable spirit, progress, evolution, strength and character which grows and blossoms year after year, breaking all sorts of proverbial ceilings and boundaries. Year after year, I too sit upon panel after panel and attend celebration upon celebration discussing the merits, necessities and importance of having a day dedicated solely to women which we commonly now refer to as “IWD” – International Women’s Day.
This begs the question, do we need a special day to celebrate women? Should we be obliged to – or even on occasion feel compelled to – do something special and female- orientated, every year on March 8 and where did it come from?
According to Radhika Sanghani, writing for the UK Telegraph on IWD 2017, “Its roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours. A year later, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the US on February 28, in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In 1910, a woman called Clara Zetkin – leader of the ‘women’s office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany – tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She suggested that every country should celebrate women on one day every year to push for their demands.A conference of more than 100 women from 17 countries agreed to her suggestion and IWD was formed. In 1911, it was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19. In 1913, it was decided to transfer IWD to March 8, and it has been celebrated on that day ever since….”
Going back to the question of why such a day exists, it was originally brought about to achieve full gender equality for women – the world over. Sadly, over a hundred years later, despite the many leaps and bounds we have taken to achieve that goal, it has still not been realised. We haven’t even come close enough. A gender pay gap persists across the world and women are still not even on the horizon in terms of equal numbers in business or politics. Figures show that across the globe, women’s education and development of health are diminishing and violence against women is on the rise. Shockingly, according to the World Economic Forum, the gender gap won’t close until 2186.
So on IWD, women across the world, from all walks and pathways of life, come together to compel the world at large to recognise these inequalities and turn the gaze of those in the seats of power to notice them. It is also a day to celebrate the bold and extraordinary achievements of women who have gone on to do things many men only dream of.
As I see it, bar a few practical difficulties and biological differences, women can do everything men can do, should they choose to and the ‘fight’ – if one likes to call it that – is to get that recognition and more importantly, the opportunity to do so. Give half the chance to women and men wouldn’t have a chance at all. It would seem that this is the reason we have a day especially allocated for IWD. It’s an opportunity to remind the world, remind the people who make the decisions, remind those with the authority to do something, that they need to.
Common sense dictates that we should not need a special day allocated especially for the purpose of celebrating women and their achievements. It seems obvious that every day should be a day to do so. The issue then perhaps becomes one of necessity. There is no doubt that in a metaphorical sense, women make the world go round…they add…’colour’ to everything. Whether it is at home, within the immediate and extended family,the workplace, society, school – the world would be a much more barren, ineffective and grim place without women and their unquantifiable contribution to the landscape of life. One could imagine the daily picture of it would be one painted in shades of grey and black. I heard something when I was a teenager that has stuck with me throughout my life: ‘The man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants…’. It simply puts things in perspective. Ultimately the woman is the cornerstone of most families and this makes up the most integral building block of any society. It is obvious that it is her influence, attitudes, mindset and values that will be instilled in any child of the household, who will eventually grow up, to a large extent inculcated with her way of seeing and doing things and will in turn form the next generation of society which will influence the manner in which things are done.
Yet even today, many women don’t have basic rights, let alone equal ones. Child marriages, prostitution, rape, violence against women, domestic violence, female infanticide, no access to education – are rising in number and there are far too many women who do not have a voice and whose opinions and thoughts are considered unimportant. Women make up over half the world’s population. If we want to empower and inspire future generations to be bold, innovative, creative and change the world, it is simply not possible that the playing field favours one gender. If all of us – men and women – don’t keep fighting to level out that playing field, and some continue to instil the mentality that something is just ‘not for girls’, then ultimately we all lose.
Making up 51% of the world’s population, women should be equal and free to do as they choose. Not to simply fall in line with what men (predominantly) choose for them and therefore it is important to remember and take note of the contribution women make to the world at large. The focus on the 8th of March is essential and simply serves as a reminder to keep fighting the good fight for the other 364 days of the year.
The evidence speaks for itself: The first International Women’s Day to be officially recognised was in 1911 and 106 years later, we are still fighting for breathing space.
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