International Women’s Day is upon us once! A day that belongs to all groups everywhere, it belongs to communities, governments, companies, charities, educational institutions, networks, associations, the media and so many more that if we included them, this post would never end!! International Womens Day is not country, group or organisation specifically. So together, lets all be tenacious in accelerating gender parity. Collectively, lets all Press for Progress.
History of IWD
1909 – The very first IWD was observed in the US on February 28th. This day was designated by The Socialist Party of America to commemorate of the 1908 garment workers strike, where thousand of women protested about working conditions the factories of New York.
1910 – A meeting in Copenhagen between The Socialist International declared a Womens Day to honour the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage (the right to vote) for all women. Over 100 women form 17 countries have unanimous . In attendance would be the very first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament in later years. A Fixed date had not been chosen.
1911 – On March 19th millions of men and women in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland attended rallies to mark the first International Womens Day. This came as a direct result of the 1910 meeting in Copenhagen and expanded beyond suffrage, they also demanded women’s rights to work, to receive vocational training and to end discrimination on the job.
1913 – IWD also became part of the peace movement during World War 1, Russia observed their first Womens Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe it was observed on or about March 8 the following year. Each rally protested the war as well as expressed solidarity with other activists.
1917 – Russian women, again on the Last Sunday in February (on the Julian Calendar used by the orthodox which is March 8 on the Gregorian calendar- the most commonly used calendar worldwide) protested and went on strike for “Bread and Peace”. “we did not imagine that this Womens Day would inaugurate a revolution.” Said Leon Trotsky about the widespread protests. Four days later the provincial Government granted women the right to vote!
1975 – Beginning on March 8th the United Nations started celebrating International Women’s Year. This spurred creation of the Ontario Women and the Law Association and the Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada (SORWUC) and offered funding for many to participate in educational and artistic endeavors aimed at presenting women’s perspectives.
1995: The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic road-map signed by 189 governments, focused on 12 critical areas of concern, and envisioned a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination.
2014 – The 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW58) – the annual gathering of States to address critical issues related to gender equality and women’s rights — focused on “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls”. UN entities and accredited NGOs from around the world took stock of progress and remaining challenges towards meeting the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs have played an important role in galvanizing attention on and resources for gender equality and women’s empowerment
What you can do to support and participate in IDW:
- Take part in an International Womens Day event in your community.
- Participate in the #MyFeminism campaign by providing your answer to the question: What does feminism mean to you?
- Recognize the achievements of an exceptional woman in your community by profiling her in a local paper or online platform, making a donation to a charity in her name, or nominating her for an award (such as the Governor Generals Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case).
- Print the International Womens Day poster to display in your office, home or community.
- Share the International Women’s Day infobites across social media.
- Encourage youth to get involved through classroom discussions and activities, using the Educators Toolkit.
- Learn more about the challenges facing women around the world from international organizations like UN Women.
- Donate your time to a local, national or international organization that supports women and gender equality.
- Talk with men and boys about their role as advocates and allies for gender equality.
- Plan a fundraising event at your workplace or school for a charity that works with women or works to advance gender equality.
“With the World Economic Forums 2017 Global Gender Gap Report findings telling us that gender parity is over 200 years away – there has never been a more important time to keep motivated and #PressforProgress. And with global activism for womens equality fuelled by movements like #MeToo, #TimesUp and more – there is a strong global momentum striving for gender parity.” excerpt from https://www.internationalwomensday.com,Find so much more information right from the source!
International Womens Day Toronto Events:
https://nowtoronto.com/events/bechdel-tested-women-s-night-bb34dd5b/?occ_dtstart=2018-03-08T21:00
https://www.facebook.com/events/140824243400012/
https://www.facebook.com/events/889503641228465
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