Today, Milwaukee is celebrating International Women’s day with the rest of the world to celebrate the achievements of women around the globe and to advocate for greater gender equality.
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century, since the first official meeting in 1911, and focuses on unity, reflection, celebration, advocacy and action, according to the International Women’s Day website.
The holiday centers itself around ten core values: Justice, dignity, hope, equality, collaboration, tenacity, appreciation, respect, empathy and forgiveness.
It is a part of Women’s history month, which looks back at the contributions that women have made throughout history. From science to politics to the arts to activism, women throughout history have been a powerful force, often overlooked or unrecognized.
Women have come a long way towards greater representation in society, but women and girls are still largely underrepresented around the world, according to the United Nations Women Organization.
The UN Women website shows these inequalities in representation. Some of the statistics included in their infographics are:
- In 2020, only 24.9% of parliamentarians globally are women.
- Only 6.6% of CEOs of the Fortune 500 are women, as of 2019.
- 24% of persons in the news are women.
Beyond underrepresentation, women and girls around the world are being affected by issues such as lack of access to education, poor maternal health, gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation and the ability to simply speak out about these issues.
Global Citizen, a movement to end extreme poverty and to learn about the causes of poverty, discusses these issues affecting women internationally in depth on their website.
It is also important to acknowledge the progress women have made around the world and their contributions to society. From women throughout history such as Harriet Tubman, Mother Theresa and Frida Kahlo, to women today such as Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, International Women’s Day celebrates them and their accomplishments.
This day also recognizes the women in our communities, the women who work, the women with mental illness, the women with disabilities, the women who are mothers, the women who choose not to be mothers and every other woman in-between.
Are there events on Campus?
On International Women’s Day, organizations like these and women around the world will acknowledge these issues and advocate ways to inspire change.
At UWM, the Women’s Resource Center will be hosting an event co-sponsored by the Women’s Advocacy Committee. The event will be held in the Union Concourse on Monday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature organizations from across campus and the Milwaukee area.
The Women’s Resource Center is also putting together a zine to “show the various talents of womxn identified folks at UWM.” They are accepting submissions through Monday, March 9, and UWM students are encouraged to submit their art, short stories, poetry, and other mediums that would fit in the zine.
UWM organizations will also be hosting a video conference with Madonna Thunderhawk, leader in the American Indian Movement and organizer against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This event will be held on Sunday, March 8 at 2p.m. at the Lubar Entrepreneurship center.
How can we show our support?
The simplest way to show support for women on International Women’s Day is to lift the women in our lives up.
Some ideas for doing this are:
- Reach out to a woman who has inspired you! Show your appreciation!
- Support local businesswomen who have worked hard to be where they are!
- Stream music by women! Artists, especially emerging ones, do not make very much money on streaming services, so support them and stream their music.
- Reflect on your own life! How do you show women that they are valued and respected?
- Wear purple on Sunday! Purple is the color that symbolizes justice and dignity, and it is the color for symbolizing women internationally.
