International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated yearly on March 8th. The pledge for this movement is “to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.” The creators of this international movement say that progress has slowed in many places across the world, so urgent action is needed to accelerate gender parity. One simple measure is the gender parity index (GPI), a socioeconomic index designed to measure the relative access to education for males and females in a particular region or country. According to UNICEF, GPI is improving in many places around the world, but not fast enough.
In the past, International Women’s Day marked the plights and achievements of women, but this year the campaign pledges to look forward 15 years to the gender equality goals. Themed this year around the aspiration for “Planet 50-50 by 2030”, United Nations-backed events will be held to celebrate women’s rights in more than 40 countries.
If you wish to honor a woman or girl you love that has inspired you, visit the International Women’s Day website and make a pledge to help us stand up against inequality. Equality means social justice and opportunity for all. Young women of today deserve an equal chance to be the strong, intelligent leaders of tomorrow.
It is not too late for us to stand together and change the future of our girls. We can help them by engaging in this movement and encouraging world leaders and business owners to think about the untapped resource, women. Alison Kay, Ernst and Young’s Global Vice Chair says ,” If women don’t get the right sponsorship and strategic opportunities throughout their careers, their chances to make it to the top are much smaller.” We all hope to see a better and brighter future for our young women. Will you be a part of the change?
Photo courtsey of https://www.internationalwomensday.com/.
