International Women’s Day (IWD) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least a century of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
IWD is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity,” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage. The idea of an IWD first arose at the turn of the 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In 1903 Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst established the Women’s Social and Political Union to press for female suffrage, i.e. votes for women. Their claims were met with amusement, and the Word “suffragette” became an easy term of mockery. She and her colleagues, most of them well educated and from good families, thereupon began a campaign of offensive / annoying tactics which intensified as repressive measures were taken. They chained themselves to railings, broke windows, set fire to pillar-boxes, and harassed the government spokesmen with impertinent questions and attitudes. When arrested, some went on hunger strike and were forcibly fed. On 4th June 1913 Emily Davidson even committed suicide by throwing herself under the king’s horse at the Derby. These tactics brought attention to the cause of votes for women, but finally it was the 1914-1918 war that changed their position in society. 
During World War I, men went off to fight and the factories and essential services were run by women. Their contribution was so great that when the war ended it was impossible to deny them the vote. Even so, it was not until 1928 that the voting age for women was lowered from thirty to twenty-one to make it the same as the voting age for men at the time.
In the US women won the right to vote in 1928. but this was also hard-won, took more than 70 years to achieve and it was fuelled by an entire Suffrage movement. The 1940’s and 1950’s saw women challenging stereotypes in the workplace. Feminists in the 1960’s and 1970’s burned their bras. For the first time, the pill gave many women some control over their biology.
In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation.Article 1.3 of the United Nation’s Charter signed in 1945 provides “… fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.” It’s up to the countries that are UN members to let their citizens know these rights and how to obtain them. Knowing one’s rights is one step towards overcoming discrimination!!!
CURIOSITIES WORLDWIDE…
√ women first gained the right to vote in 1893 and that was not in Europe but in New Zealand;
√ the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor are women;
√ on average, women receive between 30 and 40% less pay than men earn for the same work;
√ everywhere women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide;
√ only 24 women were elected heads of state or government in the last century; of the 189 highest ranking diplomats to the United Nations, only eleven were women;
√ domestic tasks aren’t yet equally shared by women and men and surveys show that mothers take the kids to appointments more often than fathers;
√ in many countries women are still the weakest link: in Algeria, for example, women are forbidden to work outside the home, to drive and must wear a veil or burke; last September, a female Sudanese journalist was jailed for wearing trousers; in China the one-child-per-couple policy has led to a preference for boys and many women abort females once they imply not only another mouth to feed but worse: another dowry to pay - girls are burdens for their families!!!Especially in Africa, female genital mutilation is still widely practised which led the UN to declare February 6 as "International day against Female Genital Mutilation";
√ have you ever thought of how sexist the English language is? Businessman, repairman, chairman, man-made, fireman, salesman,… isn’t this clearly a vocabulary of inequality? What about starting to change it???
Article 1.3 of the United Nation’s Charter provides “… fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, se, language or religion.” It’s up to the countries that are UN members to let their citizens know these rights and how to obtain them. Knowing one’s rights is one step towards overcoming discrimination. Nevertheless, gender discrimination still exists and celebrating International Women’s Day is no anachronism at all…
I wouldn't like to finish this (already) long posting without a famous excerpt by MAYA ANGELOU:
"My name is Maya. I was born 14 years ago in a poor peasant family. There were already many children so when I was born no one was happy. When I was still very little, I learned to help my mother and elder sisters with domestic chores. I swept the floor, washed clothes and carried water and firewood. Some of my friends palyed outside but I could not join them. I was very happy when I was allowed to go to school. I made new friends there and learned to read and write. But when I reached fourth grade, my parents stopped my education. My father said there was no money to pay the fees. Also, I was needed at home to help my mother and the others. If I were a boy, my parents would have let me complete school. My elder brother finished school and now works in an office in the capital. Two of my younger brothers go to school. Maybe they, too, will finish."
SOURCES:
WOMEN IN ART:
OTHER LINKS (videos, songs, poems):
8 comments:
Hi Alex!
I personally don't celebrate the 8th March because for me all days are women's days... but I enjoyed reading the historical curiosities about this celebration. Nice research indeed!
keep on with the good work you've been doing!
Cláudia Mota
HELLO TEACHER ALEX
I AM HAPPY FOR IF REMEMBERING ME.
TODAY IT IS OUR DAY, THE DAY OF THE WOMAN
DESIRE OF DEEP OF THE HEART A HAPPY DAY OF THE WOMAN FOR IT SELF AND ALL THE WOMEN.
KISSES
SORRY MY ENGLISH
teacher I am it sandra.
I forgot to place my name
Well, you know I don't celebrate it either in any special way... the date is celebrated to call people's attention and to remember that many women worldwide are still oppressed, beaten and have no rights at all - that's exactly what I wrote under the topic "curiosities". Besides,if you click on
http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/
you'll see what I mean and that's the latest example, one among many others...
Anyway, Claudia and Sandra, have a nice day :)
Although I don't celebrate Women's day, I enjoyed reading about the women's struggle over the centuries in order to claim their rights.No doubt, many are the economic, political and social achievments up to now, but ,as you said, much more has to be done.
I found partcularly interesting the WORLD WIDE CURIOSITIES!!
Unfortunately, there is still too much gender discrimination worldwide. Just like Martian Luther King, "I have a dream..."
Y, I have a dream (or several) that one day women won't be discriminated as they still are in so many countries. Theory is one thing, PRACTICE / REALITY is another...
I particularly appreciated the section: curiosities worldwide evn though this survey testify taht women are still discriminated and this is very sad. Very touching the excerpt by MAYA ANGELOU.
Thank you Alex
Post a Comment