Make the world a better place to live in.

International Women’s Day 2015

International Women’s Day “IWD” is also known as the International Working Women’s Day or United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace which is celebrated every year on 8^th of March all across the world in different regions of the countries in order to focus the achievements and contributions of the women in the society. The celebration of this event varies from region to region. Generally, it is celebrated to provide respect to whole women fraternity, appreciate them and to express love for them. As women are the major part of the society and plays a great role in the economic, political, and social activities, international women’s day is commemorated to remember and appreciate women’s all over achievements.

Why International Women’s Day is Celebrated

In the month of August in 1910, a meeting (organized by the International Women’s Conference) of the Socialist Second International was held in Copenhagen to establish the yearly celebration of the International women’s day. Finally, the annual celebration of International Woman’s Day was established by the support of American socialists and German Socialist Luise Zietz. However, no particular date was decided in that meeting. The event celebration was decided to promote the equal rights for all women.

It was first celebrated on 19^th of March in 1911 by the millions of people in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. Variety of programs was held like demonstrations, women parade, banners and etc. Another demand of voting, holding public office and removing sex discrimination in employment was kept in front by the women. It was celebrated in America as a National Women’s Day to the last Sunday of the February every year. It was first celebrated by the Russian women in 1913 at last Sunday of February. A rally by the women (members of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation) was held in Sydney in 1975.

International women’s day celebration of 1914 was held on 8^th of March. From then, it was started celebrating everywhere on 8^th of March. The 1914 event celebration in the Germany was especially held for the women’s right to vote. During the 1917 year celebration, women of Saint Petersburg demanded the “Bread and Peace”, end of the World War I as well as Russian food shortage. Gradually, it was started celebrating in various communist and socialist countries such as in China from 1922, in Spanish communists from 1936 and etc.

 International Women’s Day Celebration in India

International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the India by the Indian people with great zeal and passion on 8^th of March to increase the awareness about women’s rights. This event celebration plays a great role in distributing the real message about the women’s right and their place in the society. It promotes the living condition of the women by solving their social issues.

How International Women’s Day is Celebrated

International Women’s Day is a special event which is celebrated worldwide on 8th of March by the people including women leaders from the business, political, community, educational institutions, inventors, TV personalities and etc. It is celebrated by organizing variety of programs like seminars, women parade, conferences, banner, debates, presentations, speech, competitive activities, luncheons, women’s issues, dinners, breakfasts including other women rights promotional activities. It is celebrated to enhance the worldwide awareness about women, their rights, contributions, importance of education, career opportunities and etc.

Female teachers are given gifts by their students, parents by their children, sisters by their brother, daughter by their fathers and etc. Most of the business organizations, government and non government offices, educational institutions are closed at this day. Generally, people wear purple ribbons while celebrating this event.

Briefing journalists at a press conference at in New York as part of a wider launch of activities tied to International Women’s Day , UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka  warned  that the march towards gender equality had been unacceptably slow amid chronic under investment across all areas.

“The Secretary-General’s report makes this very clear,” Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka said, referring to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s global review of progress on gender equality, slated for full launch on 9 March at the opening of the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women  

“The disappointing gap between the norms and implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action  points to a collective failure of leadership on progress for women. The leaders entrusted with the power to realize the promises made in Beijing have failed women and girls,” she added.

UN Women noted that the report cites some areas of progress, such as an upturn in the number of countries removing discriminatory laws and adopting legislation to stop violence against women and girls. Meanwhile, girls’ participation in education has led them to being close to half of all students in primary schools while the presence of women in the labour force has also risen.

Nevertheless, despite the 189 countries that endorsed the Platform for Action 20 years ago in Beijing, the Secretary-General’s report notes that no country has yet achieved gender equality. In addition, it points out that despite their better education, women continue to hold some of the worst jobs while the gender pay gap remains a worldwide phenomenon.

Conflict, volatile food and energy prices, fallout from climate change, rising extremism and an insidious backlash against women’s rights due to deeply entrenched discriminatory norms – all continue to restrain advancements for gender parity.

As a result, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka continued, UN Women was launching its “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” initiative to galvanize government pledges for action and as part of the wider Beijing+20 campaign.

“Today, we are calling on governments, everywhere in the world, to Step It Up,” she added. “By 2030 at the latest, we want to live in a world where at least half of all parliamentarians, university students, CEOs, civil society leaders and any other category, are women. Real progress requires 50-50.”