International Women's Day

By: N. Elmôr

Sunday, March 8th was International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme was “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights”. Women’s day is a national holiday in many countries. In Russia, flower sales double during the days leading up to it; in China while some women are given the half-day off, some employers do not give their female this half-day off; in Italy, it is celebrated by the presentation of the mimosa blossom and in the USA March is Women’s History Month, so women are praised for their achievements.

This year was pivotal for advancing gender equality across the globe. Nonetheless, there is a global agreement that there is still a long way to go for real progress to take place. As the UN pointed, there is not one nation that can declare that they have reached gender equality as many barriers remain in this challenging path.

Unaltered cultures and laws, unfortunately, mean that women are still not valued for all their work and are still receiving less than their male coworkers, having limited opportunities (2.7 billion women are kept from acquiring the same jobs as men) and encountering various forms of violence (one in three women still experience gender-based violence).

​Now more than ever, nations worldwide need to take measures to attain gender equality and human development goals. The Beijing Platform that takes place every women’s day since 1995, has been pivotal in inspiring global action.