Say No to Bias and Say No to Women's Day

March 8 Was marked as Women's Dayby the United Nations in 1975 and officially recognised as such two years later. While countries across the world have since celebrated the day, its roots go much further back.

The UN’s official website says that the first National Woman’s Day was first observed in the United States on February 28, 1909. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of “the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.” Around 15,000 women marched in the city that day for shorter hours of work, better pay and voting rights, the International Women’s Day (IWD) website says.

So its been over 114 years since then and we still have to observe this day. In 2022, around 48,800 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family. Globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30 per cent of women aged 15 and older). This figure does not include sexual harassment. The rates of depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV are higher in women who have experienced violence compared to women who have not, as well as many other health problems that can last after the violence has ended.

If this was ot enough less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort. In the majority of countries with available data on this issue, among women who do seek help, most look to family and friends and very few look to formal institutions, such as police and health services. Fewer than 10 per cent of those seeking help reported to the police.

Across the globe, women face inferior income opportunities compared with men. Women are less likely to work for income or actively seek work. The global labor force participation rate for women is just over 50% compared to 80% for men. Women are less likely to work in formal employment and have fewer opportunities for business expansion or career progression. When women do work, they earn less. Emerging evidence from recent household survey data suggests that these gender gaps are heightened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So what do the Hippocrates do to improve this, they celebrate International Women’s Day. And Hence I think till the time we have a need to observe this day the hypocrisy wont end. What the world needs is a ZERO BIAS DAY. Where we pledge to have no bias of gender, races and communities. And then we wont need a Women’s Day ?

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