IWD is a holiday recognized by the UN since 1975, but the seeds of what would grow to be a massive tree with branches around the world were planted in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York demanding shorter working hours, the right to work, and better pay.
How did Women’s Day start?
IWD is a holiday recognized by the UN since 1975, but the seeds of what would grow to be a massive tree with branches around the world were planted in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York demanding shorter working hours, the right to work, and better pay.
Then, in 1910, during the Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark, Clara Zetkin, a communist leader and advocate for women’s rights, came up with the idea of an international day to commemorate women’s struggle and the 100 female attendees from 17 different countries agreed unanimously.
Why was March 8th agreed upon?
Although Clara’s idea had no specific date attached to it, in 1917, during a strike promoted by women demanding “bread and peace” in Russia, the tsar was forced to abdicate after four days, and women were granted the right to vote. And what made that strike so special? (besides the obvious achievements). It was the spark that ignited the Russian revolution and began on March 8th, making it the day chosen to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Why do we need it?
The first and sometimes only question people usually ask regarding IWD is, why do we still need to celebrate it in 2022? And, honestly, if you must ask, then you haven’t been paying attention to the news and the state of the world.
Although, there have been significant changes, especially when it comes to women in leadership positions around the world, such as the election of Kamala Harris as the first female, Black, and Asian-American vice-president in the US, or Tanzania’s first female president, Sania Suluhu, and even the first female president in Honduras, Xiomara Castro, who was sworn in earlier this year. And, of course, there have been some significant steps in the right direction when it comes to women’s rights. In fact, just two weeks ago, Colombia decriminalized abortion within 24 weeks of pregnancy.
When it comes to the gender wage gap, in the United States, white women make 82 cents for every dollar a white man makes in the same job, according to Equal Rights Advocates. Furthermore, the same organization found out that the situation is even worse for other groups. Black women earn 62 cents for every dollar a white man makes, Native-American women earn 60 cents, and Latinas make 55 cents.
However, there is still a long road ahead. When it comes to the gender wage gap, in the United States, white women make 82 cents for every dollar a white man makes in the same job, according to Equal Rights Advocates. Furthermore, the same organization found out that the situation is even worse for other groups. Black women earn 62 cents for every dollar a white man makes, Native-American women earn 60 cents, and Latinas make 55 cents. Not to mention these groups have less probability of being promoted to senior positions and thus stay stuck within the same salary bands throughout their entire career.
As if this wasn’t shocking enough, we should not forget last year, the Taliban rose to power in Afghanistan again, setting women and girls’ struggle for equal rights back years, making young girls especially vulnerable to child marriage, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. Furthermore, numerous studies show that gender-based violence increased dramatically around the world due to lockdowns imposed to control the COVID-19 pandemic, more women than men lost their jobs or had to quit to take care of their children once schools closed, and women globally lost 800 billion dollars of income due to the coronavirus. For many, lockdowns meant staying at home with their abusers, or in the best-case scenario, their duties as care providers increased, and they had to give up their hobbies, causing detrimental effects on their physical and mental health.
So, before asking why we still need an IWD celebration, or if there is an International Men’s Day too (Fun fact: There is! On November 19th and more than 80 countries celebrate it.) Ask yourself how you can leverage this day and this celebration to contribute to #BreaktheBias and support women in their fight for equality in every sense of the word?
we must use this day not only to give chocolates and flowers to those we appreciate but to ask ourselves: “What are we doing to help the women in our community reach their full potential and have the same liberties as men?” and “How can we continue to fight today and every day for a more just and equal society for all women regardless of race, social status, or country of birth?”
I didn’t think in 2022 I would have to go out to the streets with a purple handkerchief to protest for my right to exist in the same terms as a man. But, when geographical disputes and power hunger are leaving 1.5 million people displaced, as of today, most of whom are women and children (this is only specific to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and not counting the many international and internal conflicts that are being fought at this moment during the ongoing pandemic), we must use this day not only to give chocolates and flowers to those we appreciate but to ask ourselves: “What are we doing to help the women in our community reach their full potential and have the same liberties as men?” and “How can we continue to fight today and every day for a more just and equal society for all women regardless of race, social status, or country of birth?” As long as the rights of one woman to live life in a free and equal society are threatened, all of us are threatened, and all of us will continue fighting. #TakeAction #BreaktheBias #PeaceforUkraine
