Friday, March 8th is International Women's Day. This holiday originated in 1909 and led to many key events in our world's history; in 1965 the then-USSR adopted March 8th as an official non-working holiday. It gained momentum in the West around 1977.
How familiar are you when it comes to this holiday? For instance, did you know the inception of this holiday has a role in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II of the ill-fated Romanov dynasty? Or perhaps you're aware the U.N. issues official themes for each year?
In 1996, the official theme was: "Celebrating the Past, Planning the Future and in 1999 the focus was ending violence against women; which is also the theme for this year. In 2017, the theme will focus on a global womens strike. Bad news for the men in our lives, 2017 will also feature a sex strike.
This holiday serves to remind us that women are still not on equal footing with men in the work place and various other arenas in life but it's a fight we are not going to abandon any time soon.
Is there a woman in your life (perhaps yourself) who consistently challenges the patriarchy to gain even-ground for women in society?
Are you doing anything to promote International Womens Day, whether it's at work or school or through a pro-feminist organization? If so, share the details!
Bonus Question: Do you think men and women will ever have the exact same rights and benefits, or will there always be an air of "equal, but different"? If you believe the latter, is it akin to settling and giving up or do you think that men and women are different enough to receive different rights and privileges?