By Emily Gianni
International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated on March 8. This day brings attention to different issues like equality for women, reproductive rights and violence/abuse against women. International Women’s Day is celebrated so people can recognize how far women have come towards equality and see how much father women have to go. Starting in 1911, only eight countries allowed women to vote, equal pay for women was unheard of, if they were even allowed to work, and women did not have access to any reproductive rights.
In order to understand International Women’s Day, it is important to look at the history of women’s rights. In 1908, women had terrible working conditions and were exploited. 15,000 women went into the streets of New York and protested for shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights. In 1909, the Socialist Party of America announced a National Women’s Day to honor these strikers. The very first International Women’s Day was held in 1911 and more than one million people rallied in Europe. For over 100 years, women were fighting for their rights, and the fight for equality still hasn’t stopped. Women fight for social justice every day because of the aims of the very first women’s march.
Some people may ask, why does International Women’s Day matter anyways? This day is so important because we are still not there yet. Yes, we have come a long way. Once, women couldn’t vote and now women lead countries. On a smaller level, once women were not able to work and now women are the top bosses at different corporations. Women are still fighting because their rights aren’t secured. Progress for people should be linear, but sometimes, women have taken steps back when fighting for their rights. For example, there are still women being killed by their partners or exes once a week in Australia. This day is so important to show women standing with other women living in countries who may not be able to march out of fear for their safety. The International Women’s Day Association website explains the importance of March 8: “On International Women’s Day we remember that as long as one woman faces discrimination, harassment, inequality or oppression, we all do.”.
Some statistics that the website gave were completely shocking, which reiterates the importance of fighting for women’s rights. In 2020, 47,000 women and girls were killed by their male partners or family members, and these were only the deaths we know about. 47 countries have no punishment for husbands who rape their wives. Similarly to this, 45 countries do not have specific laws against domestic violence. 2.7 million women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. Also, 30 percent of women globally have experienced sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. The 2023 International Women’s Day theme is ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future.’ Equity means creating an inclusive world. Embracing equity is important this year for women to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination against women, draw attention to bias and look for inclusion. Celebrating International Women’s Day goes beyond just you and your rights in your country. Fight for those who can’t fight. Save a woman by being a woman.