Each year on March 8th, International Women´s Day is being celebrated worldwide. Some men have asked, why women must be celebrated? Why do men have no International Men´s Day? Should we rather ask why we actually need an International Day for Women?
The purpose of International Women´s Day is to remind us all of the fact that we are yet far from having reached gender equality. Women across the world must get their voices heard. Due to many different reasons, including culture, tradition, legislature etc., many countries/societies across our globe prevent women from having the same opportunities in life as men.
What we all must understand is that empowering women through women´s birthright, Universal Human Rights, that apply to both genders, we contribute to developing a sustainable global economy, where all human beings have equal access e.g. to education and to workforce (and, a profession of their choice/level of education, knowledge and skills), narrowing down gender gaps and transforming societies to become less gender oriented.
According to research and statistics, girls and women that have equal access to primary, to secondary, and even to higher education give birth to fewer children. Not that children would be unwanted in our world, but when girls and women are economically empowered through education and through an unlimited access to the global job market/have the possibility of practicing their learned profession/becoming entrepreneurs, it has multiple beneficial effects upon societies, including better health for both women and children, and less poverty. In our overpopulated world with too many children suffering from hunger, malnutrition and poverty, it is important for parents to have the opportunity of raising healthy children which ultimately will lead to healthier economies and societies.
By giving girls and women equal opportunities and allowing females to access their basic human rights, economies and societies worldwide empower and help women to be capable of taking care of, not only their own futures, but the futures of their children equally.
What can you do as a man to help and to support an equal economy? There are countless ways of empowering girls and women, starting within the close family system/relatives/your community. Learn more about the worldwide facts regarding gender equality. Integrate gender equality into your daily life at home, at work, in your community. Understand that empowering girls and women will benefit men as well, when responsibilities are distributed equally within homes, and in working environments.
What can you do as a girl/as a woman? There is no simple response to this question, since the state of equality between genders varies from country to country. I could write, learn and be aware of your (human) rights as a girl/woman, but it is not that simple taking into consideration that currently not every girl/woman is aware of their Universal Human Rights. How can you empower yourself to take action for improving your life as a girl/woman if you are unaware of your basic human rights? However, those girls and women who are aware of their basic human rights should claim access to those fearlessly, empower themselves and other women to become active citizens of the world to make their voices heard and contribute to an increasingly much democratic world where both men and women can live up to their full potential as equal human beings.
Happy International Women´s Day!
Click here to read related post:
365 Days a Year Dedicated for Women Globally
Click here to access International Women´s Day presentation:
International Women´s Day Thought Leadership
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Anne-Maria Yritys 
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