Today, March 8, marks the observance of International Women's Day (IWD). It was originally known as International Working Women's Day, begun as a socialist celebration in 1911, influenced by rapid world industrialialization that included women in the work force in growing numbers. The resulting economic expansion led women to join men in protesting against inhumane working conditions.
The first IWD was observed on 19 March 1911 in Germany, so technically, we have not quite arrived at the Centennial date. But 8 March is now the date of observance. For some countries, it is a national holiday. The site that describes activities being held all around the world is International Women's Day 2011. For whatever reason (malicious hacker attacks are suspected), the site has been down intermittently throughout the day.
The background and timeline of events leading to IWD as it is celebrated today can be found here. Thousands of events have been and are being held throughout the world today to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more. For the United Nations, this year's theme is "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women." The IWD site clarifies that, whatever the umbrella "global" theme may be, each participating country and group may choose a theme appropriate to its perceived requirements; it lists selected themes here.
In the United States, for example, President Obama proclaimed the whole month of March 2011 to be "Women's History Month," calling Americans to mark IWD by reflecting on "the extraordinary accomplishments of women" in shaping the country's history.
When HWMBO lived in Switzerland full-time, he volunteered services as an extremely versatile network engineer to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) located in Geneva, among them the World YWCA. As part of his volunteer activities, he was able to assist on the spot with technical matters for international women's conferences in Cairo (Egypt), Nairobi (Kenya), Brisbane (Australia), Dakar (Senegal), and Georgetown (Guyana), to name some. He was able to see much more of the world than I! His consciousness was thoroughly raised when he was able to see firsthand what conditions, prejudices and circumstance, often socially, politically and economically debilitating, that women - still - face around the world.
It's a real shame that so many others have not had the same kind of enlightening experiences. In my own country even today, right-wing politicians are practically conducting all-out war on women's reproductive choices. Canadian author Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is all too eerily prescient, I'm afraid.
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