The most important questions about March 8, International Women’s Day

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It has different names: International Women’s Day, Women’s Day of Struggle or International Women’s Day. As different as the names are, so are the details of when and by whom they were created. On March 8, 1857, US textile workers are said to have gone on strike, but this is not documented.

Whether mythical or documented, the meaning has always remained the same. It was about equality, women’s suffrage and the emancipation of women workers. It is documented that on March 19, 1911, in various countries, including Switzerland, more than a million women took to the streets to raise their voices. International Women’s Day was not held every year until ten years later.

On March 8, 1975, the United Nations hosted the celebrations of the United Nations Day of Women’s Rights and World Peace. It has since become a symbol of the struggle for history, women’s rights and gender equality. Here are the most frequently asked questions about Women’s Day.

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

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

Even today, in some occupations, women earn less than men. Young women enter the workforce for eight percent less wages, according to National Council Member Maya Graf, co-chairman of Alliance F, a political lobbying organization for equality between women and men in work, work, family and society. In their private lives, they usually do housework and raise children. In the professional field, women in management positions are still rare. The compatibility of work and family is often a career barrier.

According to the 2016 Bluewin poll that interviewed 753 Swiss, the most prominent women include both Bundestag Members and former federal prosecutor Carla del Ponte. Ski racer Lara Gut is just as popular. Development worker Lotti Latrous and artist Pipilotti Rist are also at the forefront.

The ratio of women in politics, which had been increasing continuously before 2000, is stagnant. It was above 26.5 percent before, but now it is just over 25 percent. In 2010, a woman presided over both the National Council and the Council of States. In 2011, for the first time in the Federal Council, women had a majority: Micheline Calmy-Rey, Simonetta Sommaruga, Doris Leuthard and Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. The most important politicians today are probably still Sommaruga and Leuthard.

In an international comparison, Switzerland does well: only the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands (36 percent to 42.7 percent), Germany (30.9 percent), Spain (28.3 percent) and Austria (26.8 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 cases, internationally, the victims are women. Another issue is sexism in daily life; Women are often discriminated against just because of their gender and are sometimes seen as “just” housewives and mothers.

Many problems have a traditional background, such as traditional female genital mutilation, forced marriage or death by honor killings in parts of Africa and Asia.

The right to education is also restricted worldwide: 130 million girls do not have access to education. Development agency One released this number on Monday, based on information from the UN education agency UNESCO. (stj)

Source : Blick