Celebrate and campaign.
This Friday, March 8, marks the 108th anniversary of International Women’s Day which celebrates “social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” According to the International Women’s Day website, it is also a day for a “call to action for accelerating gender parity.”
The first “National Woman’s Day” in the U.S. was actually observed in 1909.
Seen today as more than simply a ratio between sexes, gender parity assesses any number of statistical markers and details which compare things like income, education, workforce participation, entrepreneurial starts, investments – as well as conditions, treatment, advancement, and other markers within categories. Delving deeper, parity research may look at socio-political, socio-economic, and racial factors, as well as other more current gender-orientation issues.
According to the United Nations, women face an increasing “digital gender divide” and are under represented in areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and design (STEM). The UN uses the day to promote its efforts to address social, economic, and political challenges facing women around the world.
Perceptions and statistics surrounding parity of women in any number of areas may differ, but a review of data nine years back demonstrated that the “women’s movement” peaked around 1970 and growth slowed. For example, the number of women in computing jobs peaked in 1991, but has continued to fall since, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
But beyond pushing for equality on multiple fronts which vary widely between nations and cultures, International Women’s Day is a celebration of achievement. Apple, for instance is honoring its coding and creating employees by highlighting their stories. The company is also partnering with the organization Girls Who Code as well as other organizations that promote women in technology.
People across the U.S. and around the world are being encouraged to use the following hashtags on social media to mark International Women’s Day:
#WomensDay #BalanceforBetter #IWD2019
RESOURCES:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/us/womens-history-month-myths.html
https://www.nps.gov/wori/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day
https://www.newamerica.org/weekly/edition-174/what-gender-parity/
Questions? Interested in learning more about International Women’s Day?
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