By Imogène Taveau
The morning of the 8th of March I donned my purple shirt with an overwhelming sensation of pride rippling through me; International Women’s Day had finally arrived. At school however, I was bitterly disappointed by the comments I heard throughout the day from both boys and girls, arguing that having a day to celebrate women is putting women above men. The usual “Why is there no Men’s day?” was repeated to me numerous times, and each time my response was the same; because every day is Men’s day.
What these people cannot seem to grasp is that the fight for Women’s rights goes far beyond angsty teens on Tumblr screaming about shaving and bras; it’s about getting women in positions of power, fighting FGM and forced marriage. It’s about fighting against the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, the daily sexual harassment, the gender discrimination in the workplace. Having a day to celebrate the fight for Women’s rights and the powerful, influential women in the world is not putting women above men, it’s bringing them on the same playing field. International Women’s Day is about the continuous quest for equality, because the truth of the matter is that almost everywhere in the world women are put below men. It might not feel like it, but even in the western world where women’s rights have advanced significantly over the past 100 years, there is a daily distinction that still leaves women slightly behind in terms of opportunities and social security.
So LGB, I ask you this, is International Women’s Day really such a bad thing? Is the celebration of the pioneers in the fight for gender equality and the influential women of the world really so irritating to you? I urge you to think long and hard about the issues that International Women’s Day addresses, to look into some of the wonderful women being celebrated (Rosa Parks, Mae Jeminson, Soujourner Truth and Dorothy Hodgkin just to name a few), and maybe, just maybe, keep this in mind the next time you open your mouths to belittle the fight for Women’s rights.
