International Women’s Day – March 8th 2014

Today is International Women’ Day. Today we remember that women are marginalized all around the world, in every country, in every sector. Today we amplify our voices in the fight for gender equality. The theme for 2014 is “Equality for Women is Progress For All”, and today we recognize that the world is not fair for everyone, and it will only be when women are empowered that society will truly progress.

“Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Companies with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all.” – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

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International Women’s Day is a tradition that has been observed since the early 1900s, and actually originated in the United States during the suffrage movement. In 1908, 15,0000 women took to the streets of New York City to demand equal wages, better working conditions and the right to vote. In 1910 at the 2nd International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin, presented the idea for a day dedicated to the fight for women’s rights, a global celebration of women.

The following year, the first ever International Women’s Day was celebrated around the world, with over one million women taking to the streets to demand equality in the workplace, and the home. It wasn’t until 1975 that the UN officially recognized International Women’s Day.

Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day to remember the brave women that fought for their right to vote, to work, and to enjoy the same rights as men. The women of the first half of the twentieth century fought long and hard for us to have these rights, and it often seems as though gender equality has been achieved, at least in countries like Canada and the USA. We also celebrate today to remember that this fight is far from over.

In 2014, women continue to earn 20% to 40% less than their male counterparts in the same professional position. Women are massively under-represented on the political stage, and the laws around the world reflect this. According to the United Nations, women perform 66% of the world’s work, and produce 50% of the food. And yet we earn 10% of the income and own only 1% of the property. A woman is 30% more likely to be illiterate as an adult, because girls are routinely kept out of school to do housework, farm work, or be married off as a teenager. 39,000 young girls are forced into child marriages every year.

Domestic abuse is not considered a crime in many countries around the world, with spousal rape is the most common form of sexual abuse, because marriage is seen by most countries as the husband’s ownership over his wife’s body. It wasn’t until 1993 that marital rape became a crime in the USA.

A study in Asia-Pacific surveyed 10,000 men and found that 1 in 4 men admitted to raping a woman, and 1 in 25 admitted to participating in the gang rape of a woman.

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Courtesy Women in Revolution

Here in Canada, it can be easy to forget these statistics, to think that this is something that should really just focus on women in countries like Afghanistan, India or the Democratic Republic of Congo, where women are treated as property and defined as such in the law. While these women do face unimaginable challenges in their daily lives, these issues affect every single woman in the world. The gender gap has not been closed in any country, it may be less obvious, but it always exists. Every single woman in Canada knows what it is like to be scared to walk home alone at night. You may poke fun at us for going to the bathroom in groups, and yet this became practice because of the number of times women are followed into public bathrooms and sexually assaulted. “Text me when you get home!” is not just a phrase we say to each other so we can pick up our conversation when we return to our respective homes after a night out, but it is to make sure the other made it home without incident. Feminism is as relevant to us today as it ever has been, and today is the day where women unite around the world to demand justice and equality.

PictureThe next generation of women in Mathare.

Time and again it has been proven that to invest in a woman is to invest in her community. Women are 90% more likely to re-invest in her family. An empowered woman is the most effective catalyst for sustainable change, and we need to do everything in our power to ensure that the next generation of young women no longer need to suffer.

Girls need to attend school with the same regularity as boys. Girls need to know that if they are sexually assaulted, the law will be on their side. Girls need to feel supported in the workplace. Girls need to feel safe when walking down the street. Girls need to have a voice in politics. Girls need to enjoy the luxury to choose when and who to marry. Girls deserve so much more than what the world gives them. We can do better. 

Sabrina Rubli

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