Abraham Paulos reports
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements for women. IWD emphasizes women's progress worldwide and inspires women to realize and attain their full potential. It is a holiday for making women's accomplishments and experience an integral dimension for securing human progression.
IWD has maintained much of the political focus and vigor that marked its origin more than 80 years ago. In 1908, the Socialist Party in the U.S. appointed a women's National Committee to Campaign for the Suffrage. After the meeting, this Committee recommended that the Socialist Party set aside a day every year to campaign for women's right to vote, a big step for socialists but epic for women.
In May 1910, at the National Congress of the Socialist Party, the women's National Commission recommended that the last Sunday in February be recognized as International Women's Day. That August, at the Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, Luise Zietz advocated internationalizing the American Woman's Day. It passed unanimously as it did a few days later in the general International Socialist Congress. And so International Women's Day was born. Thus, until 1917, International Women's Day was celebrated on different days throughout the world.
The International Women's Day protest that changed the world and solidified a date occurred in Russia in 1917 (March 8 on the Western calendar, February 23 on the Gregorian calendar). As a result of the long struggle and many strikes, International Women's Day 1917 inspired thousands of Russian women to leave their homes and factories to protest the terrible shortages of food, the high prices, the world war, and the increased suffering they had a bitterly endured. A general strike spread through Petrograd, and, within a week, Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate.
After 1917, and in honor of women's role in the Russian Revolution, International Women's Day secured its place on March 8 on socialist calendars. The date became official in 1921, when Bulgarian women attending the International women's Secretariat of the Communist International made a motion that the day be uniformly celebrated around the world on March 8. Over the past couple of decades the celebration of IWD has increased significantly. In 1981, the National Women's History Project, in Santa Rosa, California spearheaded the drive for a National Women's History Week, choosing the week of March 8 to show the international links among women. That year the U.S. Congress passed a resolution declaring National Women's History Week. Due to popular demand, in 1987 the week was expanded to the entire month of March, National Women's History Month.
IWD this year will focus on the role of women in decision making, which is vital to the advancement of women around the world, and to the progress of humankind. Today, women's participation and representation in the political process is disproportionate to men. There are many lingering obstacles for women's equal participation in the decision-making process, including traditional and psychological barriers, gender stereotypes, and inequities in education, training and resources.
To mark International Women's Day, the UN has published a report that convey rates of female participation in governments across the world are still inexcusably low. The report says that for women to be adequately represented in their country, at least 30 percent of parliamentary seats should have a female representative. Women today comprise an average of 16.4 percent of legislators in the upper and lower houses of parliaments. Europe's Nordic countries have consistently held the lead, with an average of 40 percent women legislators. In Britain, only 18 percent of MPs are women while only 8 percent of MPs in Arab countries are female.
However, women are overcoming the obstacles. In 20 nations — including Rwanda, Mozambique, Guyana and Burundi — women have achieved or exceeded the 30 percent mark and three countries — Chile, Spain and Sweden — have complete gender parity in government. Rwanda tops the list with 48.8 percent women in parliament a remarkable achievement. There are now 11 women Heads of State or Government, in countries on every continent. In January, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became the first female elected president of an African country. Also in the same month, Michele Bachelet was elected as the first female president of Chile she was also the first woman minister of defense in Chile and Latin America. Rosalyn Higgins of the United Kingdom was elected President of the International Court of Justice on 6 February 2006. Judge Higgins is the first ever woman President and has been a member of the Court since 1995. Radhika Coomaraswamy of Sri Lanka was appointed the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict on 7 February 2006.
Gender equality in decision-making ensures the protection and promotion of human rights. An avid continued commitment to gender equality in political, economical, and social participation is the most effective method to support provisions for human equality and progression. Integrating a gender perspective in the formulation and implementation of public policies is essential to establishing the foundations for a stable global peace. Peace and human rights are inextricably linked with the equality of women. Enhancing women’s participation on all levels of society is essential to building peace, humanity and advancing the equality of women, men and children.
Abraham Paulos is a communications assitant for World Hunger Year.
