International Women’s Day 2021
You might have seen International Women’s Day mentioned in the media, the day is marked annually on March 8th and it is one of the most important global days of the year to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as many groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements and assemble for women’s equality.
How did this day start?
International Women’s Day (IWD) for short, grew out of the labour movement to become a recognised annual event by the Uniter Nations (UN). The uprising started in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. The Socialist Party of America declared the first National Women’s Day, a year later.
The intention to make the day global came from a woman called Clara Zetkin, she suggested the idea in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. There were 100 women there, from various countries and all collectively agreed on her suggestion.
The day was made official in 1975 when the United Nations started celebrating this day. To date, the day celebrates how far women have come in society, in politics and in economics, the political roots of the day propose organised protests and strikes to raise awareness of continued inequality.
What colours symbolise International Women’s Day?
Purple, green and white are the representative colours of this day. Purple signifies justice and dignity, green symbolises hope together with white, which illustrates purity.
What’s the theme for International Women’s day 2021?
The campaign theme for this year is ‘Choose To Challenge’ meaning a challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change. Will you #ChooseToChallenge?
Why do we need this day?
Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century, none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and neither will many of our children. Data from UN women revealed the pandemic could wipe out 25 years of increasing gender equality.
Who can support International Women’s Day?
The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere, Gloria Steinem, journalist, activist and world-renowned feminist once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organisation, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”
So make International Women’s Day your day, and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.