International Women’s Day being observed today

NEW YORK: International Women’s Day is being observed to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.

Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity, and fundraise for female-focused charities

International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. It is not country, group, or organization specific and no government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network, or media hub is solely responsible for International Women’s Day but it belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”

This year, the United Nations is observing while keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic which has affected the world but has also highlighted the contribution of women.

Women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic.

This year’s theme for the International Day is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, celebrating the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN says Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality. However, legal restrictions have kept 2.7 billion women from accessing the same choice of jobs as men. Less than 25 per cent of parliamentarians were women, as of 2019. One in three women experience gender-based violence.