History of International Women’s Day
The first International Women’s Day on record was celebrated on February 28, 1909, in the United States as a plea to improve the poor working conditions for garment workers. Thankfully, much progress has been made in regard to working conditions around the world. However, there is still a lot of advocacy that needs to happen when it comes to gender equality in and out of the workplace.
IWD2020 Theme
According to the International Women’s Day website, this year’s theme is #EachforEqual. The purpose of this theme is to draw awareness to the idea that “an equal world is an enabled world.” Meaning that the more we can draw attention to bias and take action for equality the better our collective world will be. The site also highlights examples of women who are making a big difference in tech, health, athletics and more which we think is amazing!
Inequality Still Exists
While some may believe that gender inequality is a thing of the past, it is important to remember that the metaphorical glass ceiling still exists and many other modern-day examples can be easily identified by your co-workers, friends, and family members. Maybe you can even think of examples in your own life or the life of your loved ones.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research makes this unfortunate reality crystal clear in the following statement, “Women are almost half of the workforce. They are the sole or co-breadwinner in half of the American families with children. They receive more college and graduate degrees than men. Yet, on average, women continue to earn considerably less than men. In 2018, female full-time, year-round workers made only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 18 percent.”
How to Get Involved
There are many different ways you can show your support and get involved with International Women’s Day this year. Here are a few great options:
Post on Social Media
Posting a picture of yourself on Instagram or Facebook making the equal sign with your arms is a great way to spark curiosity and create awareness in your social circle.
Attend an Event
If you are passionate and eager to get more involved with #IWD2020, consider attending one of the events that will be happening globally in nearly every country. Click here to learn about events that might be happening in your region.
Speak Up
One of the best ways that you can celebrate the spirit of IWD all year long is by speaking up when you experience or observe inequality IRL. If you notice inequality in your home, workplace, or community, saying something and advocating for change can make a huge difference for real people.
Show Your Support
If you support International Women’s Day and want to highlight the cause to bring awareness to foster change for current and future generations, be brave and post a picture on Instagram, attend an event, or show your support beyond March 8th by speaking up.
When you post, don’t forget to use the hashtag’s #IWD2020 and #EachforEqual. You can also tag @letsnixit so that we too can be inspired by you. Let’s band together in celebration because the time for progress is now!
