We’d like to draw your attention to a very important date. International Women’s Day is today and while we really should celebrate the amazing women in our lives every day, this is a special occasion that honours the achievements of women worldwide.
If you’re looking to get involved and find out more about International Women’s Day we’ve put together a guide for you.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated differently in each region of the world. The day is designed to commemorate the cultural, political, social and economic achievements of women. Some regions observe this with a public holiday, others recognise it socially.
IWD is believed to have begun in 1909 in New York City where it was called National Women’s Day.
In the century since, International Women’s Day has picked up speed eventually being recognised by the United Nations and forming a national day of recognition that focuses on campaigning for women’s issues.
Some of the goals for IWD outlined by the official website are to:
International Women’s Day is held on March 8 every year. In 2022 it falls on a Tuesday.
This year the theme of IWD is ‘Break The Bias’ with the official UN theme being ‘gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’.
If you’re keen to get involved in International Women’s Day for 2022, there is a long list of events running. You can search through what’s happening across March 8 and beyond, both in person and virtually, through the IWD website.
These events span across everything from discussions about women in business, to important stories from Afghan women and girls. There is also the All About Women festival being held at the Sydney Opera House (and virtually) between March 12 and 13 with personalities like Roxane Gay, Nakkiah Lui and Clementine Ford speaking.
International Women’s Day began with 15,000 women marching through New York City to demand better pay and voting rights. From there, millions of influential women in history joined the cause to get us to where we are today.
Some notable female supporters over the years include Clara Zetkin, who was the leader of the Women’s office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, that brought the idea of an international day for women to the table at the International Conference of Working Women in 1910. Following this 100 women from 17 countries agreed with the idea and IWD was born.
Since then there have been thousands of inspiring women campaigning for female-focused issues. Some, like Sylvia Pankhurst, were arrested for their support of suffrage over the years, but eventually won to bring us some of the equal rights women enjoy today.
Celebrate IWD by pinning up some of the inspiring quotes from these incredible women.
The organisation is motivating people to call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping wherever it is present. Supporters of the movement can post an image on social media striking a crossed arms pose to show solidarity with the hashtag #BreakTheBias.
Another way to get involved is to either organise or attend an IWD event. The IWD website has resources available to help anyone with planning their own event for the day.
Here are some other ideas to celebrate this momentous occasion.
There are plenty of excellent podcasts out there that are either hosted by women or deal with women-centric issues. Consider filling your ears with one of these on IWD to get inspired and educate yourself on a relevant topic.
If you need some podcasts suggestions for women, we have a few favourites. Failing that, you can always cuddle up with a new book.
Women-led businesses deserve our support every day, but even more so if we want to reach gender equality.
There’s no lack of women-led businesses out there to support, it sometimes just takes a bit of research to understand where exactly your money is going.
If you need some help we’ve pulled together a list of businesses run by women that deserve your attention.
If you’re seeking ways to support the sisterhood from the comfort of your couch then plonk yourself down with a female-focused TV show or movie.
Thankfully, there are quite a few of them these days. From inspiring performances like Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel to shows about the power of female communities, like Issa Rae’s Insecure, there’s no shortage of excellent TV shows about women nowadays.
Hopefully, this helps you get everything you need to out of this year’s International Women’s Day in Australia. So, without further ado, Happy Women’s Day!
(And if you’re wondering, yes, there is also an International Men’s Day.)
The post International Women’s Day Is All About Breaking the Bias This Year, Here’s What’s on the Agenda appeared first on Lifehacker Australia.
