ANNUALLY, March 8 is about women and issues that affect them globally as it is the day designated for the commemoration of the International Women’s Day, which serves as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, especially in terms of issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and violence as well as all forms of abuse against women.
Worldwide, the celebration commemorates women’s achievements, struggles and their right to gender equality, while also highlighting their contributions to culture, politics and society across various sectors with special attention to civil awareness, women and girls welfare; anti-sexism and anti-discrimination, amongst others.
And this year’s celebration will come up on Friday with the theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,’ targeting economic disempowerment though the campaign theme for the same year is ‘Inspire Inclusion.’
The campaign theme emphasises the importance of diversity and empowerment in all aspects of the society and underscores the crucial role of inclusion in achieving gender equality. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes and create environments where all women are valued and respected.
It further encourages everyone to recognise the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including those from marginalized communities.
However, this is not the first time, the campaign is focusing on inclusion; indeed, it has become a recurring theme over the years. It is a fact that right from the first celebration on March 19, 1911, in the United States and several European countries and its inception which stems from the 1908 labour movement, during which numerous women garment workers marched in the streets of New York, demanding better pay, shorter working hours and voting rights after being spearheaded by the Socialist Party of America, it had always been about inclusion for women. And this has not changes as inclusion has continued to be the overriding message since its designation as an international day.
The International Women’s Day is observed to recognise the cultural, political, social, and economic achievements made by women and inspire efforts to end gender biases and discrimination and achieve gender equality.
Over the years, Women’s Day has turned into a public holiday in many countries, and a holiday for women in some but it has become a popular occasion in most countries of the world; Russia observes International Women’s Day as a national holiday, in China, many women take half-day off from work, in Italy, the International Women’s Day, locally called The Festa della Donna, is observed by exchanging mimosa blooms. And in the US, the month of March is observed as Women’s History Month. Every year in March, a presidential proclamation commemorates the achievements made by American women while in Nigeria; many activities are carried out by diverse women groups to mark the date.
International Women’s Day has a specific theme every year but all themes focus on coming together to tackle economic disempowerment. But while parity and inclusion are recurring messages in the yearly themes, the battle cannot be said to have been won in spite of massive increase in the movement.
Indeed, the fact that the success rate can’t be termed to be high across all nations. And while gender equality is not just a theme for celebrating International Women’s Day but also a theme that is central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) and a perennial item on the Secretary-General’s annual priority list, there is still a long way to go. And this has been supported by researches. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023, “it will take another 131 years to reach gender parity.” The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) 5 calls for the world to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030 but it is still looking like a mirage.
The world will indeed be a better place if women can win the battle for inclusion. The World Health president António Guterres confirmed this when he said, “empowering women can boost economies and help the peace process but it needs to happen faster.
“We are promoting women’s full and equal participation and leadership in all sectors of society, as a matter of urgency,” Guterres had told the UN General Assembly, outlining the agency’s priorities on February 7, 2024.
And as the world continues to fight for women’s rights on Friday, there is still no yardstick to measure the success of the movement globally.
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