INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

BECOME THAT POWERFUL IMPACT  

 

Bridget C. Williams

 

Over the decades, the objective of Women’s Day celebration has evolved and embraced culture and ethnicity to emerge as a celebration of appreciation, respect and love towards women.

Make a contribution to Society. On this day, huge sentiments are expressed about the power of women and many proverbs and poems directed towards women. It is really nice to have a special day for women where they are glorified to a point of being honored, awarded, and appreciated.  Women are not just mothers.  They have been doing it all since the beginning of time.  Women are getting that well deserved recognition that has been hidden under a bushel.

Women are making a difference all over the globe and are proven to be a powerful impact.   Influential leaders across the world are taking bold action to accelerate gender parity. Young girls need to see this empowerment that is affecting the world.

“The earliest Women’s Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York and organized by the socialist party of America.”

“Women’s Equality Day commemorates 26th August 1920 when votes to women officially became part of the US constitution. This day marks a turning point in the history of the struggle for equal treatment of women and women’s rights.”

Today, women’s equality has grown to mean much more than just sharing the right to the vote. Women are improving that stigma which  is dissipating– They are now Doctors, lawyers, astronauts, scientist, biochemist, carpenters, fire fighters, politicians, pastors, Managers, prison wards, psychiatrist, professors, business owners, engineers, automotive mechanics, and the sky is the limit. Women are leaders everywhere you look–from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.

Empowerment

Women have become a force to be reckoned with and are fearless. Empowering women in all countries is very necessary to bring gender equality or we can say that gender equality is very necessary to empower women. Gender equality is the first step to bring women empowerment in the world. Women should also identify their strengths and abilities, and move towards a world of empowerment. On the event of Women’s Day, let us all promise to create a better world to live in.

Women can help women

It’s a fact that women are equally responsible for all that a woman has to face. This fact can be illustrated by the fact that it is women who is responsible for the diminishing strength of the other women, be it the home or the work place. Break that stereotype taboo and be your sister’s keeper.

“The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.”

We must lift up one another through mentoring, culture, encouragement; respect, inclusion, potential, expertise, skills, inspiration, perseverance, strengths, diversity, and our future would look much brighter.  Also, start looking at non-traditional trades. Women empowerment is all about making them self-dependent on taking the decisions of life irrespective of the fear of the people and the society. Women empowerment gives every woman the right to take her decisions whether it is related to the family or to their work. They are free to decide what they want to do.

The first lesson that all of us learn starts at home and the rest follows with the kind of attitude we have got instilled in us.  I was privileged to have parents that encouraged and empowered us to be a vessel to help others.   This is what they taught us, so that our living is not in vein.

Women need to change their mindset that they are not just meant to remain within their home but move outside to live their own life. They have the choice to decide whether they like to work or indulge in other activities.

You have to, make your foundation stronger.

Gone are the days when women were not taught but today a lot of revolution has come and women are now learning and exploring life.  They will be able to stand on their feet and play a crucial role in their family and outside both. This will help to build a better society where everyone is equal.

Establish your self-image

Some women have identity issues and hindrances. Rebuild your-self and love who you are. Whether you are a housewife or working professional, your identity means everything to you. This is definitely a good sign that women are finally moving out of the four walls of their home and taking a big step.

Eradicate the Stigma!

 “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

Chronology

  • 1909   The first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

  • 1910   The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women’s Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

  • 1911   As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

  • 1913-1914   International Women’s Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists.

  • 1917   Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for “Bread and Peace” on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.

  • 1975 During International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March.

  • 1995 The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap 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. The MDGs have played an important role in galvanizing attention on and resources for gender equality and women’s empowerment.