International Women’s Day-08-03-2016

International Women’s Day-08-03-2016

Image source: By Karl Maria Stadler - Scan from an old book, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6372383

Pledging For Parity

International Women’s Day (IWD) - a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future - is celebrated on 8 March each year. March 8 marks the 105st observance of International Women's Day. 

The first IWD was held on 19 March 1911, when more than a million European women and men rallied for the right of women to vote, work and hold public office. The inspiration came from a New York march against poor working conditions and child labour, held in 1908. In 1910, an international conference of socialist women voted to hold a yearly International Women’s Day. The date became fixed as 8 March in 1917, in commemoration of a strike by Russian women involved in the peace movement. Their action led to the abdication
of the Czar, and the winning of the right for women to vote. 

Peace, human rights, and social, economic and political issues have therefore always been an important focus of International Women’s Day. The first International Women’s Day in Australia was held on 25 March 1928. The first recorded recognition of IWD in WA was on 13 March 1936 and included speeches by prominent men and women. From its inception IWD has stood for equality between men and women. The United Nations officially recognised IWD in 1975 and declared that it be celebrated on 8 March.

Women all over the world must still engage in battles to be treated equal to men. These battles vary in different countries all over the world. Examples of issues are:

1.  trying to reach equal pay for equal work done by women and men

2.  discrimination against women in the hiring for certain jobs and promotion to upper-level jobs
because prejudice still exists

3.  battles of sexual harassment at work, in school or in public places

4.  gender based violence against girls and women

5.  bad work circumstances in factories where mainly women work

6.  in some countries girls still do not have the right to education

7.  being forced into an early marriage