Yesterday was international women’s day so “Happy International Women’s Day” to everyone.
In the wave of celebration of women’s achievements, I had a lot of people ask me why international women’s day is important. So I started looking into it and thought I would share this.
I didn’t realise this before but international women’s day was started with the aim of demanding that women be given the right to vote. First in the UK and then around the world.
Over the years this has morphed in so many calls for equality that relate to politics the pay gap, sexual harassment (#MeToo campaign) and loads more.
Here are some interesting stats
Globally
- Globally, women are paid less than men. Women in most countries earn on average only 60 to 75 per cent of men’s wages.
- Women bear disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care work. Women devote 1 to 3 hours more a day to housework than men; 2 to 10 times the amount of time a day to care (for children, elderly, and the sick), and 1 to 4 hours less a day to market activities.
- It is estimated that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives. However, some national studies show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18thbirthday.
(Source: UN Women)
In Europe
- Women are far more likely to be taking care of a child on a regular basis in 2016. Among the 25 to 49 age group, 92% of women looked after a child regularly compared with 68% of men.
- In the world of work, on average only 33% of women in the EU were likely to hold a management position.
- The gender pay gap found across Europe in data collected in 2015. On average EU women earned 16.3% less than their male counterparts when comparing gross hourly wages.
- Women are a minority in all political roles in Europe. They accounted for just over 35% of representatives in the European Parliament and this rate dropped to 29% when considering national parliaments in data collected at the end of 2017.
- Only 10 heads of state or government out of 58 are women in the European Union and Norway and only eight of 27 European Commissioners are women.
(Source: Euro News)
Stats like these are why I am a feminist and why I celebrate international women’s day. I’m not sharing these stats to put a downer on your Friday. But they’re true, sadly. I wanted to share them so that if you end up in a conversation about International’s women’s day you could share why we celebrate the achievements of women around the world.
Hopefully for most people this does not take away from the achievements of men. For me the point is that we celebrate how far gender equality has come while acknowledging that we still have a long way to go. I know cliché but so true.
Let me wish you “Happy International Women’s Day” again and share this amazing video:
International Women’s Day Children reject the gender pay gap
Feminist Friday Says #FFS 