International Women's Day 2018

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“The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights” -Gloria Steinem

International Women’s Day

Every year, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day is celebrated. On this particular day, people from all walks of life, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, or economic background come together to celebrate women. More specifically, women’s contributions to society and their achievements. It is used as a platform to fight for equal rights and to address the issues women are facing in this day and age.

CHINA

An advertisement by an e-commerce platform making use of International Women’s Day.

(creds: REUTERS/Jason Lee)

In the ever-developing China, International Women’s Day is now celebrated not much differently from Singles’ Day or Valentine’s Day. Chinese companies have turned the holiday into yet another marketing gimmick to advertise sales on the more “feminine” items that they stock. Though, it was not always like this. As a nation with a strong communist past, China used to be a front-runner when it came to revolutionizing women’s rights. The government saw Women’s Day as part of a larger plan to mobilize women behind the broader Communist movement and hence celebrated this occasion with gusto. However, while the rest of the world started to become more willing to speak up to demand equal rights and the celebration of women, the progress of gender equality in China stagnates. The new generation of young Chinese women are beginning to shun the real reason behind celebrating International Women’s Day.

ITALY

Women’s march in Rome (creds: CNN)

In Italy, International Women’s Day is also known as “festa della donna”. Traditionally, as a form of celebration, Italians gift yellow blossomed mimosas to their female counterparts and likewise, to show their support for this occasion, women deck themselves out in yellow from head to toe. This year, the people of Italy celebrated International Women’s Day with more fervor than ever before. The feminist group, Non Una Di Meno which translates as “not one less”, organised mass strikes that heavily disrupted local flight schedules and trams, buses, and subway services throughout Italy’s capital, Rome. Their purpose is to remind everyone of the contribution of women towards society by demonstrating what a world without women would look like. The feminist group called for solidarity among all women and reminded participants to remain headstrong as this was a fight not only for themselves, but for future generations of women as well.