Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, a day when we celebrate every woman in the world and all they have accomplished. This special day began in New York City.
It was March 8, 1857, and female textile workers were marching in protest of unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women. This was one of the first organized strikes organized by women in which they were fighting for shorter work days and decent wages. Fast forward to March 8, 1908, there was another march in New York city with women workers in the needle trade. They marched through New York City’s Lower East Side to protest child labor and sweatshop working conditions, and demand women’s suffrage.
After this 1908 strike, the first official National Women's Day was observed on February 28, 1909. The United States became a leading influence in women's rights, especially women’s suffrage, which inspired other women around the world. In March 1911, the first International Women’s Day was held in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Following that, on March 8, 1917, Russian women staged a strike to protest food shortages, poor living conditions, and the unbearable WWI. Uniting all around the world, women have been able to change the world and show the power of unity in one cause.
In 2023, the world saw some very influential women rise in fame. One of the most influential was none other than Taylor Swift. Her ranking skyrocketed from #79 to #5 most influential women worldwide. Her music and her messaging have the power to influence people across cultures and social standings. It’s not just her singing that makes her so iconic, but her professionalism while fighting for ownership of six albums with Big Machine Records as well.
Not only did women impact pop culture in 2023, they affected politics as well. President Ursula von der Leyen became the first woman president of the European Commission. She grew up in Germany, became a doctor and mother, and switched to politics when she was 43. She began serving on multiple committees like the Expert Committee on Social Policy and the Physicians’ Working Committee in Germany. In 2001, she was elected to the town council of Sehnde and became the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). She continued to have more influence and worked for the state government, assuming the role of Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs for the state in 2009. Shortly after, in 2013, she became the first woman to serve as the Minister of Defence, serving two terms in that position. In 2019, she was nominated for the office of President of the European Commission by the European Council. She took this opportunity to improve social affairs, create more sustainable energy programs, and combat child poverty. In mid-February, she announced that she would be running for another term.
However, this power move by Ursula von der Leyen is not enough to close the gap in gender inequality. In 2023, women in politics are very underrepresented:
The “Women in politics: 2023” map, created by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women, presents new data for women in executive positions and national parliaments as of 1 January 2023. Data show that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide and that achieving gender parity in political life is far off.
Women serve as Heads of State and/or Government in only 31 out of 191 countries. Women make up 26.5 percent of Members of Parliament. Globally, less than one in four Cabinet Ministers is a woman (22.8 percent). New data show that women lead important human rights, gender equality, and social protection policy portfolios, while men dominate policy areas like defense and economy.
Politics isn’t the only place where we see a gender gap. The wage gap between men and women has been an issue since the 1860s. This gap is closing little by little, but it is hard to predict when it will be equal when applying only statics and politics together. However, knowing the statistics will allow you to understand several issues within the unequal wage gap for women. According to Forbes, “Women earn 16% less than men on average, women earn just 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, and black women are paid 64% of what non-Hispanic white men are paid.” There are so many social justice issues that intertwine and are caused by each other that it is hard to blame one specific law, policy, or politician for the inequality between men and women.
One of the major things that women face disproportionately all around the world is violence in every form, from sexual, abusive, domestic, and verbal. On May 25, 2023, President Biden issued the executive order to establish the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council. The purpose of “the Gender Policy Council is to develop the first U.S. government-wide plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence.” There are seven strategic pillars that the Council has planned out, and you can read about them at this link.
This day is not only a day to recognize all the things women have accomplished, but also a day to recognize policies, laws, and social norms that need to be changed. It’s a day to show love to all the women who have made a difference in our lives, like our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, girlfriends, best friends, and other women who have played an important role in who we are today. It’s a day to celebrate all of our accomplishments and to dream about the future. Today is when women can come together and share stories of hardships, joys, sorrows, and dreams of a world where inequality does not exist. Today is International Women’s Day, so let’s celebrate it by showing more kindness and love towards all women.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.