Rotary Club of Ladner salutes women who are members in this club and among millions of Rotarians worldwide on International Women’s Day, on March 8 -- a day to join voices with people around the world around the message, “Women’s rights are human rights!” It is time to celebrate all women, in all their diversities. We embrace their facets and intersections of faith, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, or disability. We celebrate those who came before us, those who stand beside us now, and those who will come after. It’s a time to celebrate the achievements of women, whether social, political, economic or cultural.
The global theme for International Women’s Day in 2021 is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.” COVID-19 has impacted women and girls in profound ways, amplifying the inequalities they face every day. A key contributor to a more equal COVID-19 world is increasing women’s access to leadership roles. Unfortunately, women still face significant cultural, socio-economic and political barriers to accessing leadership.
In 1908, against a backdrop of terrible working conditions and exploitation, 15,000 women took to the streets in New York protesting for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. The next year the Socialist Party of America announced a National Women’s Day to honour the strikers, and in 1910 it went global – the Socialist International voted for the creation of a Women’s Day to advocate for suffrage.
The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911, and more than a million people turned out to rallies in Europe. For most of the 20th century International Women’s Day was acknowledged and celebrated by people at the grassroots level, a rallying point for social justice. In 1975 – International Women’s Year –the United Nations adopted International Women’s Day on 8 March, when it is still held.
