ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 3rd March 2009: International Womens Day is celebrated around the world each year on March 08
This year the day would be celebrated with the theme Women and men united to end violence against women and girls. However, organisations, governments and womens groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.
International Womens Day provides an opportunity for communities to recognise and celebrate local womens achievements and the contribution they continue to make to their area International Womens Day has been observed since in the early 1900s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both womens and societys thoughts about womens equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that all the battles have been won for women while many feminists from the 1970s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy.
With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of womens visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality.
The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally womens education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices.
And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.
Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. Many global corporations have also started to more actively support International Women Day by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones.
In Pakistan, every year international women day is also celebrated officially. Ministry for Women Development and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) arrange various programmes to mark the day.
On this day, PATTAN, IHI, Womens Councillor network would stage a peace rally to mark International Womens Day. It will start at 11:00 am from China chowk and culminate at Parliament House. It would be participated by a number of people belonging to different schools of thoughts.
Kilder: The Pakistan Newswire og The Push Journal
