International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, and UNL’s Women’s Week is right around the corner in response. March 8 is the date for International Women’s Day and this year where women all over the world supplemented with recognition of progress and also the call for more.
IWD was created in the United States, but is not as known here as it is in other countries. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action where 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women’s rights. The world itself has made much progress, as there are now around 30% of females in Europe in the public political sphere and a record amount of women in politics in Uruguay.
But the mission of International Women’s Day and subsequent women’s weeks in the United States has so far not been able to provoke change on the domestic level. Currently, women as an average make 77 cents to each man’s dollar, with minority women making an average of about 68 cents to each man’s dollar. Our current President has made continuous calls and efforts about pay equality, signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, but these efforts have seemed to fall on short ears within Congress.
As UNL collegiates, we benefit from the raises in minimum wage that were passed after last year’s midterms, a raise that helps put Nebraska women on a better playing field as men. As always in conclusion, please take a look at UNL’s women’s week events and learn about the progress and the need for larger legal action while celebrating your womanhood. Any of our HerCampus contributors can direct you towards events and resources that extend past Women’s Week.