“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Since time immemorial, gender inequality has consumed the very being of women. There is disparity in all societies, countries and through and out all the timelines. The patriarchy and the ensuing oppression has been so brutal and unreasonable, that to finally achieve independence and freedom, women had to conceive a whole revolution. From the tradition of celebrating Women’s Day originating in New York, U.S.A. in 1909 when activist Theresa Malkiel took this challenge alongside the Socialist Party of America, to the United Nations declaring 8th March to be acknowledged as the International Women’s Day in 1977, for some this day marks an event of protest against the atrocious discrimination against women while for others it is a celebration of womankind.
The day aims at reminding the world of the efforts women are continuously making in order to achieve parity with the opposite sex. Forging ahead with the mission of building inclusive workspaces for women, increasing visibility of creative women, women in technology and innovation, women in sports and educating women on health choice decisions, this day is a worldwide alert for calling out inequality between the sexes. This year’s fascinating prospect is the #ChooseToChallenge campaign, which requires supporters all across the world to click and upload pictures with their hands held high on social media handles.
It is a cruel fact that we might not witness absolute gender parity ever in our lives, which makes it all the more important to keep up with the endeavour of commemorating this day. The world has taken leaps and bounds in scientific advancement and technological revolution but no country has achieved gender equality till date. Change is not only dependent on big legal breakthroughs, international level protests and achievements and highlighted moments, but largely on the way we as individuals act, think and talk in our routine lives. These simple alterations can create a cascading effect which would act as catalyst in leading all the parades and marches to victory. Breaking stereotypes within our households, understanding a woman’s journey in life and respecting them without judgment would simply be more than enough to allow women to live a life of dignity, freedom and peace.
The International Women’s Day is not nation, community or gender specific. Anyone can signal their support for the welfare and upliftment of the woman community. It is not a revolution to be carried ahead by one non-governmental organisation, charity, women’s network or institution. It is a collective of the energy contributed by every individual who believes in the cause. The 2021 theme for the day is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world" highlighting the impact that girls and women worldwide had as health care workers, caregivers, innovators and community organizers during the Covid-19 pandemic. From leaders like Jacinda Ardern who rid entire nations from the threats of this disease, to every healthcare worker who served humanity at the cost of her own safety is nothing less than a wartime hero. Let us all imbibe in ourselves the spirit of fighting for equality and love, respect and honour the beautiful contribution every woman, be it our sister, mother, wife, daughter or girlfriend has made in our lives.
--Written by Jyotika Aggarwal (4th Year)
Comments