International Women’s Day 2023

March 11, 2023

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8^th. Its origins can be traced back to the activities of labour movements in North America and Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. It was first observed in 1911 by a few European countries. It was officially recognized in 1977.

The theme of International Women’s Day 2023

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Embrace Equity or #EmbraceEquity, which aims to highlight the importance of gender equity in every society. The difference between equity and equality is also emphasized, with equity recognizing that each person has different circumstances and allocating resources and opportunities accordingly to achieve an equal outcome.

Why is International Women’s Day celebrated?

The day is celebrated to create awareness of issues faced by women. These include gender equality, violence, abuse against women, reproductive rights, etc. The concept of celebrating International Women’s Day started over the Universal Female Suffrage movement. “Universal Female Suffrage” means the right to vote for women.

What led to the concept of the International Women’s Day Celebration?

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The accident killed more than 146 young workers, the majority were women. They were immigrants. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory is in New York. The fire in the factory is one of the deadliest incidents in the history of New York. Due to the fire in the building, more than 123 girls of age 14-23 died from inhaling the smoke. Most of them were Jewish and Italian immigrants. The factory was on the 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th floors of the building. This accident happened in 1911.

Need for International Women’s Day

Today 118.5 million girls are out of school. The current global Maternal Mortality Rate according to the UN is 223 deaths per 100,000 live births. Though the MMR has declined, we have a long way to go. Of the 828 million people affected by hunger and poverty, 150 million are women.

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