International Women's Day

Today, on the 8th of March, it is International Women's Day! This is an important day which has been celebrated since the early 1900s, and there has been a great deal of progress since then. Women's day is important because women all over the world are recognised and celebrated for their achievements without regard to division. The day itself will be marked with talks, marches, performances and networking events. The day has been observed since 1909 and was organised by the Socialist Party of America, and the original aim for the day was for full gender equality for women everywhere, like being able to vote and to get equal pay. 


Since these early years, the day has become a global dimension for women in both developed and developing countries. Women still gather together to show the world that there are still inequalities, but also to celebrate the achievements of those women who have overcome these barriers. The aim for equality still hasn't been realised, as gender pay still persists in some parts of the globe and women are lacking from business and politics. Figures show that globally, women's education, health and violence towards women is still a problem. According to a 2017 report, it could still be another 100 years before this equality gap between men and women is entirely overcome. With the recent scandals in Hollywood, it is more important than ever that we aim for progress on the gender gap.

The theme for this years IWD is #PressForProgress. 



Here are a few facts about gender inequality that I found interesting: 

• Women perform 66% of the worlds work and produce 50% of the food.
• Women outpace men in educational achievement, with 58% of college graduates. While two-thirds of women graduate in the humanities and the arts, men continue to dominate in science with 60% of graduates. 
• In nearly every country, women work longer hours than men and are paid less. 
• Women in poor countries do more unpaid work, work longer hours in the informal economy and face degrading working conditions.
• Men are promoted based on their potential, while women are promoted based on past accomplishments. 

This website has a list of 30 important female pioneers and first females to do many things, I think everyone should give it a read and take a look back on some of the great things that women have achieved. Some of these achievements will seem so mundane nowadays for women, but at the time they happened, they were revolutionary accomplishments. Today, female Doctors are a common sight, and plenty of women have released their own cookbooks, but 200 years ago, these jobs were only for men. 

Click here to go to the official International Women's Day website to find out more information and ways to get involved.  

I hope you have all enjoyed this blog post and have learned something new about IWD, I really enjoyed researching into it and writing about such an important day. Make IWD your day! 

India X