International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on 8 March.
The first International Women’s Day was marked in the United States in 1909, with Europe joining the movement in 1910 and 1911.
The day is a global event that aims to:
- Showcase the achievements of women
- Help inspire others
- Draw attention to some of the inequalities that still exist
- Inspire us to continue to campaign for a gender equal world.
'For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.' is the theme for this years' United Nations (external link) International Women's Day.
Why is it important?
Unfortunately, we still do not live in a gender equal world, particularly internationally.
- Even in the UK, despite in general entering the workplace with higher qualifications than men, women statistically earn less than men per hour
- More women still work in lower paid sectors than men and in lower paid roles
- Women still take on more unpaid work than men, such as childcare, other caring responsibilities, and housework
- More women than men face financial instability later in life due to earning less throughout life
- Across the world girls are less likely to be in education than boys, more likely to be sexually harassed or to experience sexual violence and less likely to receive good healthcare
- Even products that both men and women might use, such as razors or shaving foam, are approximately 13% more expensive when marketed at women.
In Wigan Borough we want to strive for equality throughout the year, not just on 8th March.
Our Progress with Unity plan is our movement for change that we hope will break down the barriers that cause inequalities. Gender equality is a human rights issue and addressing it will benefit everyone.
Find out about the United Nations (external link), who support International Women's Day, and background actions that need to be taken globally.
When is international Men's Day?
International Men’s Day (external link) is on 19 November.