International Women's Day which is celebrated in many countries around the world is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without reg
International Women’s Day which is celebrated in many countries around the world is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Since then, it has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas.
Every year, a theme is decided for each International Women’s Day and this year, the International Women’s Day 2018 campaign theme has been aptly named #PressforProgress. With the World Economic Forum’s 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 champion this cause. And with global activism for women’s equality fuelled by movements like #MeToo #TimesUp and more, there is a strong global momentum striving for gender parity.
And while we know that gender parity won’t happen overnight, the good news is that across the world women are making positive gains day by day. Plus, there’s indeed a very strong and growing global movement of advocacy, activism and support. So we can’t be complacent. Now, more than ever, there’s a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity. A strong call to #Pressfor Progress, motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive. The campaign theme does not end today, it’s just the start.
