International Women Day
“Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of a man at twice its natural size.”
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. It is celebrated to provide respect to whole women fraternity, appreciate them and to express love for them. As women are the major part of the society and plays a great role in the economic, political, and social activities, international women’s day is commemorated to remember and appreciate women’s all over achievements.
The theme of the International Women’s Day celebration of 2017 is “Be Bold for Change”.
How to “Be Bold for Change”?
Challenge Bias and inequality
- query all-male speaking panels
- pull people up on exclusive language
- challenge stereotypes
- call it out when women are excluded
- monitor the gender pay gap
- point out bias and highlight alternatives
- call for diverse candidate shortlists
- embrace inclusive leadership
- redefine the status quo
Campaign against Violence
- educate youth about positive relationships
- challenge those who justify perpetrators and blame victims
- donate to groups fighting abuse
- speak out against the silence of violence
- be vigilant and report violence
- campaign for the prevention of violence
- abstain from all violence, physical and otherwise
- volunteer your help at a local charity
- recognize coercive control and redress it
Force women’s advancement
- decide to buy from companies that support women
- choose to work for a progressive employer for women
- support or back a woman-owned business
- take a junior female colleague to a major meeting or event
- build conducive, flexible work environments
- appoint a woman to the board
- mentor a woman and sponsor her goals
- invite women into situations where they’re not already present or contributing
- measure and report on gender parity gaps and keep gender on the agenda
- create new opportunities for women
Celebrate women’s achievement
- raise women’s visibility as spokespeople in the media
- drive fairer recognition and credit for women’s contributions
- launch even more awards showcasing women’s success
- hail the success of women leaders
- applaud social, economic, cultural and political women role models
- celebrate women’s journeys and the barriers overcome
- reinforce and support women’s triumphs
Champion Women’s Education
- launch or fund a women-focused scholarship
- encourage more girls into education and careers
- value diversity for greater educational outcomes
- support women inventors of new products and services
- celebrate women researchers discovering new knowledge
Each one of us – with women, men and non-binary people joining forces – can be a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity. Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over.
References
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women’s_Day
http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/history.shtml
http://www.indiaparenting.com/womens-issues/177_3931/significance-of-womens-day.html