Celebrating Women and Taking Action - A WOW! e-Brief

 

MARCH: RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WOMEN AND POVERTY

 

March is Women’s History Month in the United States, as well as the month when International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide. WOW! is encouraging action all month long to make poverty history.

There is no doubt that women have seen progress over the course of recent history. There is recognition in many parts of the world that women have human rights, play critical roles in their families and communities and should be involved in decision making around those issues. Women are seen in leadership positions throughout the world, and in many places have the vote.

However, women still face huge challenges around the world. Women make up 70 percent of the nearly 3 billion people who live on less than $2 a day. They work a majority of the world's working hours but receive small fraction of the income, and often have no decision making power related to finances. Half a million women die every year from preventable complications of pregnancy. One in three women will be assaulted, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Girls are the majority of the children who can't or are not allowed to attend school.

 

Celebrated on March 8, International Women’s Day is an occasion marked by people worldwide. Created almost 100 years ago, it has grown to be a global movement that is recognized in both developed and developing countries alike. It is commemorated at the United Nations and has become a national holiday in many countries. Despite ethnic, national, linguistic, cultural and political differences, women around the world come together on March 8 to celebrate their struggle for equality, justice and peace and raise awareness of the issues ahead..

 

International Women’s Day celebrates ordinary women and their role as the makers of history, focusing on women’s struggle to gain equality with men. The idea of a day to honor women first arose at the turn of the twentieth century, a period of rapid industrialization, growth, social unrest and divergent ideologies. The first International Women’s Day was celebrated by Socialist International, a group based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their intent was to appreciate the movement for women’s rights and to raise awareness and support for women’s universal suffrage. The first celebrations were observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where over one million women and men attended rallies, demanding women’s rights to hold public office, to hold jobs and to gain an education.

 

These days, thousands of celebrations occur on March 8, and they vary widely. In some places, International Women's Day is celebrated like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day. Traditions include men honoring mothers, wives, girlfriends and colleagues with small gifts or flowers. In other places, there are political rallies, government activities, fashion parades, theatric performances and much more.

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Other sections of this e-brief:

2 - World Neighbors and Women

3 - Learn More and Get Involved

 

A WOW! e-Brief

Work of Women @ World Neighbors

March 2008

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