What are we actually celebrating and why?: The most important questions about International Women’s Day on March 8

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It has different names: International Women’s Day, Women’s Struggle Day or International Women’s Day. As different as their names are, the details of when and by whom they emerged are also different. Although not proven, it dates back to March 8, 1857, when US textile workers were said to have gone on strike.

Whether legendary or documented, the meaning always remained the same. It was about equal rights, women’s suffrage, and the emancipation of female workers. It is documented that on March 19, 1911, more than one million women took to the streets and raised their voices in various countries, including Switzerland. Ten years later, International Women’s Day was celebrated every year.

On March 8, 1975, the United Nations celebrated the “United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace.” Since then, this date has symbolized the struggle for women’s rights and gender equality. Here are the most important questions about Women’s Day.

The world’s first Women’s Day was celebrated in the USA on March 8, 1911. Its founder was German social democrat Clara Zetkin. At his suggestion, women came together in many countries (Switzerland, Denmark, Austria and Sweden) to demand the right to political participation, equal pay with men, and greater occupational and health protection.

Women’s Day is celebrated differently all over the world. In some countries, events and activities mostly revolve around the issue of equality. In other countries, the day has little to do with feminism. March 8 is an important holiday, especially in Russia, which is a mixture of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Men give flowers, chocolates or perfume to their wives, colleagues and mothers. In China, women get half-day leave, especially in state-owned companies.

Even today, women earn less than men in some professions. According to National Assembly Member Maya Graf, co-chair of the F Union, a political lobbying organization that aims for equality between men and women in work, study, family and society, young women enter the work process with eight percent less pay. In the private sector, they often undertake housework and child-rearing work. Women in leadership positions in the professional sector are still rare. Balancing work and family life is often an obstacle to a career.

According to a 2016 Bluewin survey of 753 Swiss people, the most important women include both federal parliament members and former federal prosecutor Carla del Ponte. Ski racer Lara Gut-Behrami is equally popular. Development worker Lotti Latrous and artist Pipilotti Rist are also at the forefront.

The rate of women in politics, which was constantly increasing before 2000, is stagnating. It was previously over 26.5 percent, but now it is just over 25 percent. In 2010, both the National Council and the Council of States were headed by a woman. In 2011, for the first time there was a majority of women in the Federal Council: Micheline Calmy-Rey, Simonetta Sommaruga, Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Today, three women lead the Federal Council: Karin Keller-Sutter, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and Viola Amherd. She is the first female defense minister in Swiss history.

In an international comparison, Switzerland is in the middle of the European rankings, with the share of women in government at 42 percent: Finland had a quota of 72 percent in 2023, and seven countries have this rate above 50 percent.

In many parts of the world, women are still at a disadvantage compared to men. One of the biggest problems here is domestic violence. In nine out of ten international cases, the victims are women. Sexism is also a problem in daily life; Women are often discriminated against simply because of their gender, and sometimes they are even seen as “just” housewives and mothers.

Many problems have a traditional history in parts of Africa and Asia, such as the traditional circumcision of women, their forced marriage, or their killing through honor killings.

The right to education is also restricted worldwide: 130 million girls do not have access to education. Development organization One published the number on Monday, based on information from U.N. education agency Unesco. (stj/sf)

Source : Blick