International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also making a call to action for strengthening gender equality and accelerating women’s empowerment. The theme this year is Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.
- According to the United Nations, only three countries in the world have 50 percent or more women in parliament. Women are Heads of State in only 22 nations. In fact, globally 119 countries have never had a woman leader as a Head of State.
- The UN adds that at the current rate of progress, gender parity will not be reached in parliaments before 2063. That is not all, gender parity for Heads of State will not happen till the year 2150!
- Surveys in the US and UK have also suggested that care burdens at home have been primarily borne by women, leading to a disproportionately high number of female carers reducing their work hours, or leaving jobs altogether, compared to men.
Speaking about International Women’s Day 2021, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said,
“We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.”
