From the very beginning of the celebration, this holiday had certain political connotations and was associated with the struggle of women for equal rights and emancipation. However, today in the world that day is free of all political meaning and ceases to be a day of political action. It has become a day when all women are praised simply for being women. Their achievements in the political, public, and political spheres are celebrated. The current focus of this holiday is not women’s rights and the battle for equality, but women themselves with their (highly anticipated) femininity, fragility, and beauty.
Tomorrow is March 8 and we celebrate it as International Women’s Day. The whole month of March is, in fact, dedicated to activities that emphasize the importance of women’s rights, their realization, and the need for women’s equal role in society. The results of various surveys and research on the needs and conditions of women in the world and smaller communities will be presented around the world.
In some parts of the world it is established that for Women’s Day, a woman receives gifts from loved ones such as flowers, chocolate, and more. On this day, women around the world share photos on social media of the gifts they received, with some special surprises planned just for them, organized festivities, and whatnot. Let it be so. A woman should be given the wind in her back and shown to be important in the community, in the family, in the workplace.
But let us recall briefly how it originated and why this holiday began to be celebrated.
March 8 is International Women’s Day, which was officially recognized by the United Nations (UN) in 1975. This day is celebrated in some countries, and in others, it is completely unknown or unrecognized. For example, in Belgium, two similar days are celebrating the battle for women’s rights throughout the year – Women’s Day on November 11 and International Women’s Day on March 8. However, Women’s Day should be distinguished from Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in many countries, but on different dates. For example, in the Netherlands and Belgium, it is the second week of May, while in Russia and the Balkan countries this celebration does not exist at all. Mother’s Day began with commemoration in the United States and was initiated by Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century.
The history of International Women’s Day dates back to 1910 when German activist Klara Zetkin led women to protest against unequal labor rights. On March 19, 1911, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time by more than a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Since then, women in different countries of the world have held meetings and strikes, protested, during the first week of March to fight for their rights – to be treated equally, to have the right to vote, and equal pay. In Russia, Women’s Day was first marked in St. Petersburg in 1913 with street demonstrations and political readings under the slogan of the struggle for the economic and political equality of women. From the first years of the Soviet Union, March 8 became an official holiday, but it remained a working day until 1965. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the holiday of March 8 remained on the list of national holidays.
From the very beginning, this holiday had certain political connotations and was associated with the struggle of women for equal rights and emancipation. Today, however, in the world, that day is free of any political significance and ceases to be a day of political action. It has become a day when all women are praised just because they are women, and their achievements in the personal, public and political spheres are celebrated. The current focus of this holiday is not women’s rights and the battle for equality, but women themselves with their (highly anticipated) femininity, fragility, and beauty.
But is this a justified approach?
The initiative after March 8 is admirable: it promotes equality and emphasizes that women should have equal access to education, work, elections, or any other sphere of life as men. Women have all the necessary skills to do great things and should not be limited to home and family activities. Step by step, such changes are happening all over the world and women are getting the right to drive a car or vote in elections, work with big machines, be appointed to decision-making positions, etc. All of these were important steps for social development, equality, and peace.
All the rights that women now have are sometimes taken for granted. But it is important to remember that the right to vote, to work together with men, and the right to drive a car were achieved through the hard work of groups of women who were just fighting for those rights.
Women around the world even today, after more than a hundred years of protests led by Clara Zetkin, are protesting the circumstances in which they must live and the sacrifice they make for freedom because of their beliefs.
Countries in which women leaders are at the helm (such as New Zealand, Germany, and Bangladesh) received global praise in 2020 and 2021 for their effective action and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kamala Harris broke down prejudices and became the first non-white woman vice president of the United States. During this period, Scotland also became the first country to provide free and universal access to menstrual products.
While these examples represent some of the amazing steps we have taken to create a more inclusive and equitable society, we still have a long way to go. According to the report of the World Economic Forum on gender differences for 2020, at the current rate of change, gender parity will not be achieved for another 99.5 years.
Nowadays, this struggle for women’s rights does not end and March 8 serves as a day to remind and raise awareness of the inequality that is still present in many spheres of our lives.
Therefore, in addition to receiving gifts, congratulations, gatherings, let us remember and remember that International Women’s Day is a political anniversary, which welcomes the difficult history of women’s struggle for their rights, recognition, protests, and victories, especially in the workplace.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in the COVID-19 World”. Let’s celebrate and continue to embrace our leadership skills.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL AMAZING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD. WE SEE YOU AND WE ARE PROUD OF YOU. AMAZING MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, FRIENDS. HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL TRANSGENDER WOMEN, TO WOMEN WHO DO NOT HAVE VOICE AND WOMEN WHO SUFFER ABUSE BUT ARE SILENT AND CANNOT ACCESS HELP. HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL OF YOU AND WE HOPE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS IN UNITY AND HOLDING HANDS TOGETHER AS WOMEN AND FRIENDS. ENJOY MARCH 8!
Author: Minka
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