International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated around the world on March 8 every year. It began as a campaign for better working conditions by women in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Some consider the first official IWD to be February 28, 1909, or possibly March 19, 1911, organized by Klara Zetkin, a German socialist. The day featured strikes and marches in support of the rights of women workers worldwide.
No one knows for sure why the date changed to March 8, but this is the date when thousands of women started annual marches in New York’s streets. The first international women’s conference took place in 1910, in Denmark. Since then, IWD has spread around the world. In the United States,International Women's Day continued to be celebrated annually throughout the 1910s and 1920s. Its popularity waned, however, over the next several decades, reviving only slightly with the rise of the women's movement during the 1960s.
Today it is an important day to highlight the economic, political and social contributions women have made to our world. Women can now be happier that things are moving in the right direction.
IWD is an official holiday in many countries, including Algeria, China, Cuba, Italy, Poland, Vietnam, and Zambia. All across the world, men give flowers and other gifts to the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, teachers, etc. In Portugal and Romania, women celebrate by having "women-only" dinners. IWD is a big event in India, where people hold celebrations throughout the day. Indian men want to show how important women are to their society. All around the world women are becoming more powerful in business, entertainment, politics and other areas. There are over a dozen nations today with women leaders. However, IWD is still necessary to highlight the inequality millions of women still face.
DEBATES and Discussions:
Being a woman is harder. vs. Men have the toughest lives.
Men don’t have to give birth. vs. Women don’t have to fight in wars.
Women are better leaders. vs. There are fewer female heads of state in the world.
Housework should be shared vs. It’s a woman’s job.
Women are exploited vs. Men also show their bodies (advertisements)
Governments should ensure that 50% of managers are women. vs. Don’t be ridiculous.
Gender equality and respect for women should be taught in elementary school. vs. That’s sexist.
Violence against women should be punishable by life imprisonment. vs. That’s a human rights abuse against men.
Language should be more gender equal. Why the “he” in “she”, or the “man” in “human”? vs. Language is language.
Why isn't there a men's day?