Every year, March 8th is celebrated around the world as International Women’s Day (pictured above are garment workers selling the New York Call during the 1909-1910 New York City shirtwaist makers’ strike).
The historical origins of International Women’s Day take us back to the early years of the twentieth century when wage-earning women first began to emerge as a political force, across North America and throughout Europe. Because today’s celebration continues to articulate women’s issues in new ways, International Women’s Day deserves to be celebrated even more emphatically in 2004, than has ever been the case.
On a personal note: International Women’s Day has particular resonance for me, in respect of my love for my daughter, and the women in my life.
When my daughter was born 27 years ago, participation by women in post-graduate studies — most particularly, enrolment in such non-traditional faculties as engineering, law, medicine and the sciences — remained extremely low, as little as one to six percent in each faculty.
The idea that my daughter would be raised in an environment, in a society, where she would be denied the opportunity to fulfill her ambitions was not only anathema to me, that idea was repugnant. Thankfully, with the support of her teachers, with the love and support of her parents and extended family, with the changes that have been wrought in the society around her — and with more than a little hard work on her part — Megan is now preparing to enter a PhD programme in the sciences.
Over the course of the past century, and more particularly over the course of the past 30 years, we have witnessed a sea change, a revolutionary change in consciousness, in how society addresses the concerns of women, and their ability to participate in the economy and the society around us.
The struggle, the work towards change, is not over, certainly not when women cannot walk down our streets at night unmolested, and carefree. There is much that remains to be done. Still much progress has been made.
International Women’s Day serves as annual reminder to us all of how far we have come, and how far yet we still have to go.
