Yesterday was celebrated, globally, as International Women's Day (IWD).
According to InternationalWomensDay.com, International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday.
The first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911, so next year, 2011, represents the centenary (100 years') celebration of this historic event.
The question is, is such a day necessary?
To arrive at an answer, we have to examine why such a day was necessary to begin with:
Up until the early 20th century, women were only seen as homemakers - their "place" was to be in the home in order to look after their husbands and children.
Very few women were employed, and even fewer owned businesses. Married women weren't allowed to own property.
Due to this, it was felt that women needed a voice - as men, women and children needed to understand the importance of women in shaping sustainable economies, not only as homemakers, but as persons who could be gainfully employed and educated, so as to, with their intellect, ingenuity and labour, expand emerging and established economies.
The first mass employment of women occurred during World War 1 (1914 -1918), when men were drafted for fighting the war...thus freeing up thousands of jobs, which women gladly took up.
Jobs that were necessary to keep the economies of Britain, Germany and USA robust.
Women were employed in areas such as manufacturing, transport, health, ship-building and mining (loading and offloading coal).
This marked the beginning of the female industrial work force.
After the war, there was still need for female employees, as millions of men had died - so their positions became vacant and hence had to be taken by the remaining younger men and women.
From then on it was more common to see women in the workplace, but mostly as secretaries, janitors, canteen workers, factory workers and in other low-paying jobs, at the time.
Women were finally allowed to vote on a limited basis in 1756 in the US and gradually, en masse, in 1920.
(Picture entitled, "1913 - parade to support a woman's right to vote" by Ibitmylip.
The caption above the horse's photo reads: "Women were spit upon, slapped in the face, tripped up, pelted with burning cigar stubs, and insulted by jeers and obscene language too vile to print or repeat").
According to Wikipedia article, "Women's Suffrage", voting rights for women was made into international law in 1948 when the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
This is surprising however, seeing that Ethiopia had its queen - Queen of Sheba, at around 1000 or 950 BC and Egypt, its first female Pharaoh, Ma'at-ka-Ra Hatshepsut, who reigned between 1473 -1458 BC ...Thus making both women the highest political authorities in their countries, in their time.
A Second World War (1939-1945) saw the repetition of the need for more women in the workplace - to again replace the millions of men who had died.
Gradually, as women became accustomed to being employed and the economic freedom it brought...the dual-family household (both working parents) - at least in the Western world, became more common in the 1960's and 70's.
Women are unfortunately seen as bearers of children and property in some African, Middle-Eastern and Eastern countries. They are traded in marriage in exchange for property and expected to carry out traditional roles - wife and mother.
In most Middle-Eastern countries, a woman must be accompanied by a male relative if she is to go outside her home. Otherwise she'll be labelled as a slut and stoned.
In some countries like Afghanistan...women are just being encouraged to get an education.
In some churches in the West, women are not encouraged to take up leadership positions, as the traditional role of the woman in Judaism, is still stressed - she must ask questions of her husband who should be a sage in religious matters, so that he can impart this knowledge to his family - at home.
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So is International Women's Day necessary? - I say it is:
As long as you have:
1) Women who are being oppressed and not given equal opportunities as men, to excel in all spheres of life - there will always be a need for International Women's Day.
2) Younger women who have access to an education, jobs, economic and social advancement at all levels, there will always be a need for International Women's Day.
...For it is important for our younger women to understand the struggles that older women and women in our past, underwent, so that our present young women, can be now seen as equal to men, in at least most Western societies.
(I would like to thank:
1) wiccked for the use of her Flickr inset photo entitled, "International Women's Day 2010"
2) Ibitmylip for the use of her Flickr photo entitled, "1913 - parade to support a woman's right to vote").
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Article, "Gender Wage Gap Widening, Census Data Shows", About.com, accessed March 9, 2010
2) Article, "Women in 1900", HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, accessed March 9, 2010
3) Article, "How did World War 1 affect employment opportunities for Women", WikiAnswers, Answers.com, accessed March 9,2010
4) Article, "Hatshepsut, Female Pharaoh of Egypt", by Caroline Seawright, accessed March 9,2010
5) Article, "Women's suffrage",Wikipedia.org, accessed March 9,2010
6) Article, "The Plight of the Afghan woman", Afghanistan Online, accessed March 9,2010
7) Article, "How many people died in World War 1?", WikiAnswers, via Answers.com, accessed March 9,2010
8) Article, "How many soldiers died in World War 2?", WikiAnswers via Answers.com, accessed March 9,2010
9) Discussion Posting, "Everything
Queen of Sheba", by SheThing, Everything2.com, May 13,2000
Gillian
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