International Women’s Day [IWD] is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements – from the political to the social – while calling for gender equality. It has been observed since the early 1900s and is now recognised each year on March 8.

How did it start?

It’s difficult to say exactly when IWD (as it’s known) began. Its roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours.

A year later, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the US on 28 February in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.

In 1913, it was decided to transfer IWD to March 8, and it has been celebrated on that day ever since. The day was only recognised by the United Nations in 1975, but ever since it has created a theme each year for the celebration. This year is the 105th.

Why do we still celebrate it?

The original aim of the day – to achieve full gender equality for women the world – has still not been realised. A gender pay gap persists across the globe and women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics. Figures show that globally, women’s education, health and violence towards women is still worse than that of men.

On IWD, women across the world come together to force the world to recognise these inequalities – whilst celebrating the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers.

Is there an International Men's Day?

Yes, it takes place on November 19 each year and is celebrated in 60 countries around the world.

The objectives of the day include a focus on men's and boy's health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models.

It is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care while highlighting the discrimination against them.

The month of November is also  a chance for men to take part in the popular 'Movember' charity event, by growing facial hair for charity sponsorship.

How can one celebrate?

There are many ways you can get involved in IWD, including but not limited to;

Make a pledge for parity.

This involves going to the IWD website and pledging to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; call for gender-balanced leadership and create flexible cultures.

Watch Video from Lagos, Nigeria

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In a world where we’re all supposed to be ‘leaning in’ and supporting each other, there are still women out there who don’t get it. And we should be thankful for them, says Di Beddow

At a workshop for women leaders in education recently, a colleague quoted Madeleine Albright; “there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

Initially I laughed at this but then I realised while they might have been unhelpful at the time, I have learnt just as much from my negative role models as I have from those lovely, supportive, empowering examples.

The “Lean In” phenomenon pushes the importance of mentoring and encouraging others on the way up the ladder. However, even Sheryl Sandberg admits that she cringes when women come up to her and ask her to be their mentor.

“The strongest relationships,” she avows, “spring out of a real and often earned connection felt by both sides.”

Well of course they do, but we can have equally strong relationships with those we dislike. In fact, they often have a more powerful influence on us. They take up more of our thoughts and can come to dominate our lives if we let them. But while these relationships can be unhealthy, they can also teach us so much. They certainly have for me.

When my anti-mentor, Andrea, came new to the school in which I was working she seemed to good to be true. She bought me a bottle of wine on my birthday, offered me her successful application letter as a template for future job applications and in public she thanked me for all of my hard work. What more could a girl want?

Well, maybe a girl would prefer not to get e-mails, copied to the rest of the leadership team, telling her what she had got wrong that week. Highlighted in red, just in case I or anyone else missed it. I endured a year of this and it made me miserable. However, in hindsight, I learned an important leadership lesson from Andrea - might is not always right. Having power is a wonderful thing but how you use it is what matters.

My next experience came with Nora. She was a fantastically successful academic, who espoused in a glossy book on women’s leadership that her joy was mentoring women to their potential. At a crossroads in my career, I contacted her and asked if she had time to talk to me about her success and how I might find a way forward in her field. She agreed to see me and we had coffee in her study, where she slowly, and I hope unconsciously, pulled me apart.

“You may try…”, pause while she let me think about this, “but I doubt if you would get anywhere.”

Swiftly followed with, “You might enjoy writing, but you have had little success in the past few months.”

On walking away from her office I would happily have thrown myself into the Mill Pond, Woolf style, with a handful of pebbles in my pocket.

In the cold light of day, I know that I am a better person for the public criticism, for the half-hearted coaching. It says more about them than it does about me and it’s taught me what not to do in my own career. And when I begin to feel like I might still resent them, I remember that Madeleine Albright quote, and smile.

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I don't think helping people at work can be determined by gender - just like anything else. I've had positive and negative experiences with both male and female bosses. I'm pleased to say my last female boss was a delight to work for and I learned a lot from her. I am now working for a male boss who is ill-tempered and unprofessional. It's a lottery coming into the office each day and knowing what kind of mood he will be in.

I myself would go out of my way to support my colleagues no matter whether they be male or female. What I would like to say to any boss is to remember that happy workers are better workers. If your team does well then don't let it make you insecure - it reflects well on you!

ImpossibleRose

15 Sep 2014

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Tulips Help those with Cancer Charity sent the following email thanking everyone who contributed to such a successful fundraiser during International Women’s Day:

International Woman’s Day was on Sunday 8 March and to celebrate this event and also raise money for Tulips, the Mountain View Hotel, Karaoğlanoğlu hosted a ladies only celebration event for us, with 108 ladies attending. There was a meal, raffle, scratch cards and entertainment from Pete Murray.

The event, which was a sell-out, started at 7.30 pm and every lady who attended received a silk purple tulip made from our Tulips workshop and a purple topped delicious mouth-watering mini muffin donated by Akpinar Patisserie, who generously donated 250TL, the remainder were sold.

We must say a huge thank you to the Mountain View Hotel and all their staff for working so hard on the night and for putting on a fabulous meal at only 60TL per head with 10TL per head being donated to Tulips/HTWCA – this alone raised 1,080TL! The Mountain View also provided one of over 40 raffle prizes which was auctioned and raised a further 200TL.

Our thanks go to Barbara Willbye and Sev Kay for working so hard in organising this event and also, of course, the ‘handsome’ Pete Murray who donated his time for free and who worked so hard on the night to entertain 108 women!! We don’t know who enjoyed this more, Pete or the Ladies!

We would like to give special thanks to Mo, Brenda, Sue and Pam …… who worked non-stop on the night helping us with the selling of raffle tickets and scratch cards.

Finally we would like to thank our sponsors, without their generosity in providing raffle prizes we would not have been able to raise as much as we did, which was a fabulous 4,825.50 TL!!!

Thank you Everyone! - Tulips Charity

Akpinar, Girne                                          
Aleyna, Alsancak
Sandra and Les Preece
Merit Hotel, Karaoglanoglu
Selpa Trading, Girne
China Bazaar
Heather Gordon
Spaghetti Junction, Catalkoy
Pamper Yourself, Catalkoy
Super Clean Dry Cleaning, Girne
Destiny Restaurant, Ozankoy
Funky Divaz, Ozankoy
Kamigoglu Hospital, Girne
Near East Hospital, Lefkosa
Glamour Fairy, Alsancak
Auriana, Lambousa Market
Blue Song, Lapta
Cafe Boss, Girne
Cornerhouse, Ozankoy
Kont Valentine, Girne
Home Sweet Home, Girne
Burhans, Girne
Carole Dovey
Green

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Yesterday 8th March was International Women’s Day and North Cyprus held a series of events to mark the day.

In parliament female MPs brought up the subject of problems that women face in their daily lives at an extraordinary session on Thursday.

To mark the day, the women’s branches of various political parties visited retirement homes, rehab centers, hospitals and special needs education centers.

A series of events such as panels, conferences on women and family issues have been launched. Alongside which, marches was organised for the day.

We wish you all a very happy International Women’s Day.

Source BRTK

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As the world celebrates women and girls this International Women's Day, I feel disappointed that despite those of us in the West talking and campaigning on their behalf, so many young girls are being let down. The fact that we are talking about gender equality when 31 million girls receive no education at all is scandalous. We should all reflect on what we need to do as a society to give hope to these girls, not to mention the hundreds of millions more who are forced to drop out of school because of poverty, conflict and discrimination.

As someone who did not go to school until very late in life, I think real action is now needed if we want to sustain our mission and promises to get every child, including every girl, into school by the end of 2015. I grew up in an African village where major organizations promised to help young marginalized girls like me, yet we were vulnerable to exploitation. It was only after being a victim of human trafficking that I began learning the very basics in France and found the help of a mentor.

At Africa Gathering, my team and I are opening tech hubs for young women in Africa; we believe technology must not be just for those that currently have access to it but that it is for everyone. In our Senegal tech hubs, young girls are learning basic code: they are developing apps and tech solutions and in turn this training is opening up opportunities for them that they wouldn't have had otherwise: for example, girls in Uganda are now able to learn about their health and wellbeing through use of family planning and other apps which improve their lives at a local level.

In recent years, there has been progress when it comes to getting girls safely into school and learning. African governments have received support from major organizations working on strengthening education systems, including the Global Partnership for Education and UNESCO, and global movements such as A World at School are being led by young ambassadors for education, often still in their teens.

Yet we are still not doing enough to close the gender gap; it is girls in rural areas who will be the last to go school. The harsh reality is we cannot talk about the prosperity of women and girls in Africa if we don't tackle the reasons girls are discriminated against and made vulnerable to exploitation in the first place.

Gender inequality is a major problem in most African Countries -- indeed it is not unique to Africa -- but concrete actions such as increasing funding for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, removing the barriers to an education and even legalizing land ownership must be some of the priorities for today's African leaders.

Africa has the opportunity to unlock the potential of its women and girls. They are its wisest investment.

*Mariéme Jamme - Curator of Africa Gathering. Tech and Education Activist, STEM in Africa Campaigner.

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Twenty years ago, 189 countries and 4,000 organizations made a pledge to commit to a future in which women had equal rights. Twenty years on, as pointed out by UN Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, none of these countries - not a single one - has achieved gender equality. The statistics are sickening.

In her opinion-editorial piece on International Women's Day 2015, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka stated "Women left Beijing with high hopes, with a well-defined path towards equality, and firm commitments at the highest level. Their hope was that we would see this by 2005. Today, not one single country has achieved equality. It is more urgent than ever that we define - and stick to - a time frame".

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka also pointed out that there has been some progress, namely in the area of closing the gender gap in education, gender parity in school enrollment in some cases, reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, while laws have been passed on domestic violence, discrimination and gender inequality.

But...

"A woman's place is in the kitchen";
"Women should be seen and not heard";
"I don't need a washing machine, I have one at home - my wife!";
"She needs a good screwing!";
"She's a witch, drown her!";
"She was raped, stone her!";
"She brought dishonor on this family, set fire to her!";
"You are a girl, you must work in the fields so your brothers can go to school";
"It is time for your excision, your clitoris must be removed so you will not feel sexual pleasure and play around otherwise you will never find a husband";
"You want to join this team? You aren't planning on starting a family, are you?".

Empty words and phrases? Let's have a look at the statistics.

15% of women will be the victim of a completed rape in their lifetimes, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey (1998); 70 per cent of crop production is performed by women in Africa while only two per cent of the land is owned by women; Women own one per cent of the world's property, earn 10% of the world's income, yet perform 66% of the work, and produce 50% of the food; Women have to work longer hours than men to receive the same income;

Women are concentrated in insecure jobs in the informal sector and are far more vulnerable to unemployment; A WHO study conducted in ten countries discovered that between 15 and 71% of women reported physical or sexual violence perpetrated by a husband or partner; For the 15-44 age group, violence causes more victims among women than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war;

Up to 40% of women in some countries stated that their first sexual encounter was not consensual; There are 5,000 honor killings worldwide per year; 20% of women worldwide experience sexual abuse as children; In South Africa, one woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner; in India 22 women are murdered each day in dowry-related incidents, often burnt alive; 80% of the world's victims of human trafficking are women;

100 to 140 million girls have been the victims of Female Genital Mutilation, 3 million girls per year are subjected to this horrific act of intrusion; There are 60 million girls per year forced into marriage as child brides; Worldwide, 25% of pregnant women are subjected to physical or sexual abuse (including being punched or kicked in the abdomen); 40 to 50% of women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment at work; 83% of girls in the USA experienced some form of sexual harassment in public schools.

The need for change

In her article, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka underlined the "overwhelming benefits" which gender parity can bring: "Economies grow, poverty is alleviated, health status climbs, and communities are more stable and resilient to environmental or humanitarian crises.

Women want their leaders to renew the promises made to them. They want leaders to recommit to the Beijing Declaration, to the Platform for Action, and to accelerated and bolder implementation".

The role of women through history: The power of symbolism

Once upon a time, many societies were matriarchal, ruled by women, the practice of religion was controlled by women, the priestess/curer who used a symbol of authority, showing her power to cure the worst of all ills, the snake bite. What do you see outside your pharmacy today? The staff with a snake wrapped around it? That was the symbol she used.

The Moon was the Goddess who appeared at night, accompanied by the owl (white). What gender is the Moon in all the languages you know? Feminine. In Russian it is Luna (-a termination is feminine). The color of death was white, like the owl and stone owl-like effigies were buried with the dead, with multiple waves engraved on the stone, these being evocative of the feathers but also of water, the symbol of eternal life and the place from where life appeared.

We are speaking of maybe five thousand years before the Christian era, we are speaking of the Vinca culture in Romania, we are speaking of numerous cultures around the world which were matriarchal, before something happened. The Moon Goddess gave way to the Sun (what gender is the Sun in your language?), and the Priestess was replaced by the Priest. The color representing death became black. Darkness became evil, something sinister, negative. For some reason. The Goddesses only know why.

And lo and behold, societies have highlighted the supremacy of the male since then. God is referred to as He and Him, masculine takes preference over feminine in grammar (he, she, it; in Russian он, она, оно, where н = n). And now for religion.

What gender was Christ? Mohammed? Moses? David? Solomon? Buddha? What was the issue with Fatima and Ali in Islam? In the Christian religion, we have the virgin birth.

Why did Mary not have the right, even, to have a normal birth, as a woman? Why did it have to be the Holy Spirit? Why did Mary Magdalene, almost certainly the partner of Yeshua (Jesus) not have the right to be consecrated as his wife, or partner, and why was she relegated to the status of a prostitute?

Why was Eve the beginning of evil in the Garden of Eden? Why did she betray Adam and collude with the serpent (remember the serpent on the staff which disappeared)? Why was it Eve who ate the forbidden fruit?

In modern times, the woman was considered too hysterical to form a logical opinion and was therefore denied the right to the vote until less than one century ago. Ηυστερικοσ (Hysterikos) in Greek, means "suffering in the womb", meaning in turn that a hysterical woman needed "a good screw" to become calmer.

It is not surprising that such ridiculous notions had become policy under enlightened Governments, when the Scriptures themselves were full of references which place the masculine on top and the feminine underneath.

Maybe we do not need to question our religions, which by and large, set out reasonable benchmarks for codes of behavior and offer routes to Knowledge and Answers. Maybe we should entertain the notion that every man comes from a woman and that every man would naturally defend the honor of his mother. Therefore, why not defend the honor of the mothers of other (wo)men?

History of International Women's Day

International Women's Day started in the United States of America, and was launched by a declaration of the Socialist Party of America on February 28th, 1909 using as a basis the need to guarantee women's rights in an increasingly industrialized society and was taken up by the international community at the first International Women's Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1910. The horrific and inhumane conditions at the New York Triangle Shirtwaist factory which caused the deaths of 140 garment workers (mostly women) in 1911 provided an added impetus at a time when women were pressing for the right to vote and demonstrations in Russia prior to the 1917 Revolution were the first signs of women's emancipation in this country, culminating in the declaration by Lenin of a Women's Day on March 8th; in 1965 it was declared a public holiday by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

 Why March 8th?

Women had been demonstrating for their rights since pre-Classical times (e.g. the sexual strike called by Lysistrata in Ancient Greece, the March on Versailles by Parisian woman calling for "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" in the 1790s). Copenhagen had chosen 19th March for the celebration of an International Women's Day but in 1913, Russian women chose the last Sunday in February (following the Declaration by the Socialist Party of America in 1909) as the date for their International Women's Day to call for peace on the eve of the First World War. As Springtime and local fertility rites and customs to give the first flowers to women combined, the end of Febuary/beginning of March began to be the time of year observed by the feminist movements, until in 1917, Russian women called a strike on the last Sunday of February to protest against the War (23rd February) in the Julian Calendar; 8th March in the Gregorian.

Conclusion

Womanhood must stand on the same podium as manhood as an equal partner of a civilized Humankind, men must perform their role in society reporting incidents of gender abuse, harassment or violence of any form and we must use this year to make a difference. It is an insult to Humanity that twenty years after Beijing, we read statistics such as those presented above. This is our watch, history will judge us for what we have (not) done! Or are we going to write the same old op-ed pieces with the same old statistics year after year after year?

I would like to finish with the words of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka: "Today, on International Women's Day, we call on our countries to "step it up" for gender equality, with substantive progress by 2020. Our aim is to reach 'Planet 50:50' before 2030".

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda.Ru
[timothy.hinchey@gmail.com]



*Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey has worked as a correspondent, journalist, deputy editor, editor, chief editor, director, project manager, executive director, partner and owner of printed and online daily, weekly, monthly and yearly publications, TV stations and media groups printed, aired and distributed in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Mozambique and São Tomé and Principe Isles; the Russian Foreign Ministry publication Dialog and the Cuban Foreign Ministry Official Publications. He has spent the last two decades in humanitarian projects, connecting communities, working to document and catalog disappearing languages, cultures, traditions, working to network with the LGBT communities helping to set up shelters for abused or frightened victims and as Media Partner with UN Women, working to foster the UN Women project to fight against gender violence and to strive for an end to sexism, racism and homophobia. He is also a Media Partner of Humane Society International, fighting for animal rights.

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