Are you a sceptic? Is International Women’s day a waste of time, resources, and money?  

“We’re in the 20th Century, women have it just as good as men!” 

Is this you? I urge you to keep reading. if this isn’t… well I know you will stay until the end.  

If Gender inequality does not exist, then why are:

• 33,000 girls being forced to become child brides daily. 
• 32 million girls do not receive a school education. 
• More than 200 million females have been subjected to female genital mutilation  

For over a century we have been celebrating International Women’s Day. This means that, for over a century, we have been challenging the gender inequality that exists across the entire world. Unfortunately, in our lifetime we will not see gender parity, and it is likely to take another century of continued efforts before this happens…. Which means we are halfway there!  

However, there’s a lot more work to do to make this change, and it all starts with choosing to challenge this right here, right now. #ChooseToChallenge.  

Why should this matter to you?  

By this point, we can all agree that gender inequality is more crucial than ever. (If not, read more here) Challenging gender inequality will not only create a world that provides the same treatment and opportunities for your mothers, sisters, daughter, colleagues, and friends, that men have. It also has a significant economic impact. Closing the gender pay gap can add $28 trillion to the global GDP, while improvements in gender equality would lead to 10.5 million jobs in 2050. Not only is it morally right, but it brings boundless benefits to the whole economy.  

There have been so many things that we once accepted as a social norm and these patriarchal stigmas persist. However, through challenging this status quo, we have been able to make progressive changes so that we are now in a more equal world than our ancestors. One example is women having equal rights to vote as men. For some, it will seem ludicrous that a man could vote but a woman could not. There are things in today’s society which we accept as normal, and I encourage you all to challenge this. In the years to come, we will look back at the changes we made and think about how we allowed such a gender-biased world.  

We continue to fight for our civil, social, political, and religious rights. We will eventually put an end to gender-based violence, as well as increase access to healthcare, equal pay, and equal participation in politics.  

If you want to be part of this generational change, I encourage you to read more about what you, as one person, can do here It will take each and every one of us to create a gender-equal world.  

 To change, we must choose to challenge. 

 8th March 2021 – International Women’s Day  

 #ChooseToChallenge