International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day falls annually on 8 March. I like to try to celebrate the day in some form. Last year, I talked about the day in an interview with Total Guide to Swindon. This year, I’ve been included on the bill to read at a poetry event in Gloucester. Raised Voices is a celebration of International Women’s Day, as presented by a series of female poets.

There are, naturally, those who question the need for having an International Women’s Day. In our modern times of perceived progress towards equality, do we really need to take a day to celebrate women’s achievements? I’d argue that yes, we do. For men and for women, and, especially, for children.

The day is thought to have originated in the early 1900s. The aim at that time was to achieve full equality for women. This ambition has not yet been realised, not in the UK, and not on a global level. 

The Numbers

A World Economic Forum report published last December reports on the gender equality gap based on four measures. Health, politics, work, and education. Iceland has topped the gender equality index for the last eleven years. The rest of the top ten, in descending order are: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Rwanda, and Germany. The UK has slipped from position 15 to 21, with Albania, Canada, Costa Rica, Latvia, South Africa, Spain, and Switzerland jumping ahead in the rankings. (Slovenia also dropped out of the top 15, accounting for the UK position of 21 as opposed to 22).

Although the gap has narrowed slightly, if progress continues at the current rate, gender equality will be achieved in a little under 100 years. This means that those who will witness gender equality probably haven’t even been born yet. And those who will benefit from it during their working lifetime are probably still a couple of generations away.

There are some areas where much remains to be done. In seventy-two countries, women are barred from opening bank accounts. In no country do men do as much unpaid work as women. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that on average, women work 262.4 minutes per day unpaid. Compared to an average of 135.8 for men. 

International Women’s Day 2020

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Each for Equal. As individuals, our voices, behaviours, and actions matter to the wider community. We can come together to work as a whole in taking steps towards equality. 

And, as always, on International Women’s Day, while we celebrate the achievements of women in all fields, we also remember that the drive towards global equality continues. 

What About Men?

International Men’s Day is celebrated on 19 November each year. Originally conceived at the end of the 1900s, the day was established to celebrate the contribution made by men, and to highlight men’s experiences. The day celebrates positive male role models and men’s contribution to society, focusses on men’s health, and highlights inequality towards men. 

Ultimately, the goal of both days is to achieve a fair and equal global society. In this aim, we all have a role, whether through direct action, or by setting the example of changes we wish to see.

Gandhi summed up the idea of changing as individuals when he wrote:

We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.

Which links neatly back to the idea of Each for Equal. If we all take independent steps to change ourselves, we can together change the world.