W@W Topic of the Month

March 2008

International Women's Day

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, with the first celebrations occuring on 19th March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than one million women and men attended the rallies, campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

Shortly after that, the 'Triangle Fire' in New York City killed more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants, drawing attention to working conditions and labour legislation. 1911 also saw the Lawrence Textile strike of 1911/12 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, primarily led by women. It is sometimes known as the  'Bread and Roses' strike, because women were thought to have carried a sign saying 'We want bread, but we want roses, too!'. James Oppenheimer wrote the song Bread and Roses to commemorate this event, and it has become the anthem of International Women's Day. 

According to the IWD website, International Women's Day is now an official holiday in Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. There men honour their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the same status as Mother's Day, where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

In recent years a significant change has occurred in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and empowerment. Many young people feel that  women’s equality now exists while many older feminists  know only too well that the impact of male dominance is long lasting and complex.  Unfortunately, as many organisations such as the Fawcett Society show, many women are still paid less than their male counterparts, women still are not equally represented in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and experience of violence is worse than that of men. 

 
However, as the IWD website has argued, much progress has been made. We do have women astronauts and prime ministers, girls are welcomed into universities, women can both work and have a family, many women have real choices.  IWD has, for the past few years, moved on from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives in women’s lives.

Each year on 8 March, thousands of events are held across the globe to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. Many are large initiatives, but there are also a diverse range of local activities from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

The WEA’s Women@Work project will host events in Inverness, Skye, Elgin and Ardrishaig (Argyll) during March 2008 - and further details can be found on the Diary pages in early March.

Last year W@W celebrated with its Women Loud and Clear conference, which included a diverse selection of events, including women from telling about their lives. The W@W newsletter for March 2007, available in the Document Library, describes this event.

Elsewhere in Scotland this year, The Scottish Women’s Convention will host a national event in Edinburgh, at the Scottish Parliament, followed by a reception at Edinburgh Castle. Further details on their website.  

Many global businesses are also supporting IWD. HSBC hosts the UK’s largest and longest running IWD event, delivered by women's company Aurora. The IWD website describes a number of these events.

International Women's Day also falls within Fair Trade Fortnight. The two have good links, as Fair Trade works works to transform trading structures and practices in favour of the poor and disadvantaged, many of whom are women.

So, you really can make a difference: think globally and act locally !! Join in your own local events, or just rememeber to think and act positively with and for the women in your life, and make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Contributed by Frances Powell, W@W Co-ordinator