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What is International Women’s Day and Why Do We Celebrate it?
Every year on March 8th International Women’s Day is celebrated. Highlighting the achievements of women in economics, politics, culture and society overall, this day reflects on the success of women globally, but also is a call to action for gender equality. International Women’s Day aims to educate, raise awareness, call for change, lobby for equal pay and fundraise for female-focused charities. Everyone should be celebrating International Women’s Day to collectively make the world fairer.
History
The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911. Since then, millions of women have joined protest marches, campaigns and fundraising activities that have created change. Women are now welcomed into many spaces they were denied in 1911, however, there is still work to be done. Healthcare, pay and education remain unequal, women continue to be underrepresented in business and politics, and violence against women is worse than that of men. International Women’s Day remains vitally important to continuing to challenge these injustices and bring people from across the world together in this fight.
International Women’s Day 2023
In 2023 the theme is #EmbraceEquity. This intends to encourage people to ‘challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion.’ This theme emphasises the importance of equity, in recognising that everyone has different circumstances and that everyone should be given the support and resources they need. If you want to know more about the difference between equity and equality you can check out this blog written by the team behind International Women’s Day.
How Do I Get Involved?
The International Women’s Day team suggest you share your passion and excitement about the women in your life, or the campaign as a whole, under the hashtag #embraceequity. This is also a great time to reflect on how to get more involved in creating an equitable world – through deepening your knowledge of the subject, joining one of our fantastic societies that celebrate women, or by coming along to one of the Students’ Guild events that are being held!