One hundred and three years since International Women’s Day was first celebrated, we are still chasing the dream of equality. It isn’t a dream about forcing men out of boardrooms and having women take over the world, it is (for me at least) a dream about a world where women are not raped and attacked in their homes, where women and men share responsibility for caring and household work and where women have equal access to leadership roles and decision making opportunities.
For these reasons, we continue to mark International Women’s Day on March 8 each year. It is absolutely a day to celebrate the progress which has been made towards gender equality. Each year across the world, we see exhibitions of amazing women, we read inspiring stories of courage and determination, we acknowledge those women who have gone before and blazed the trail. But it is also a day to remember and reflect. To remember the women who have been killed at the hands of violent partners, to remember the women who have lost their lives fighting for human rights and dignity and to reflect on the significant challenges that remain.
This year for International Women’s Day, UN Women NC Australia is asking all of us to celebrate, remember and reflect in one of the following ways:
- Attend one of the amazing events happening near you. Ask your boss to book at table and get together 10 people who could use a little inspiration.
- Host an event in your workplace, school or with your friends. Share stories of women who have made a difference and brainstorm about the world we want for our daughters. Share your ideas on social media and raise funds for UN Women’s work
- Make a donation. It will take you less than five minutes to change a woman’s life or a girl’s future.
Each of you can make a difference to the lives of women and girls in our region. Central to lifting women out of poverty is ensuring they have access to safe, decent work. UN Women is providing training which supports women to take on a trade or start their own business. One of the most innovative programs I have seen recently is called ‘Barefoot Engineers’. Women from the Pacific are being trained to build solar panels which power cooking stoves and lights. Solar power reduces the risk of kerosene burns, but also means that children have lights at home to study at night. The engineers have a marketable skill and an income, and the community is getting technology which will help keep girls in school. Programs like this can be scaled, but they need our investment.
Each of us stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before. I stand on the shoulders of my family and friends who support me and challenge me, every day. I also stand on the shoulders of the women who fought for equal pay and equal rights before the law for women in Australia. I stand on the shoulders of the women who have challenged norms, fought for freedom and spoken out against violence against women.
103 years on, I hope that you will celebrate International Women’s Day this year, support the amazing work that UN Women is doing across the world, and thank the women in your life, on whose shoulders you stand.