The UN theme for the International Womens Day in 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world”.
UN Women Executive Director 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.”
The International Women’s Day website – which claims to be designed to “provide a platform to help forge positive change for women” – has chosen the theme #ChooseToChallenge and it is asking people to “raise your hand high to show you’re in and that you commit to choose to challenge and call out inequality”.
“Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century“: according to the World Economic Forum “none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children”.
Recent events have also worsened the situation: according to UN Women: the coronavirus pandemic could wipe out 25 years of increasing gender equality. Women have been doing much work at home in the form of domestic chores and family care (plus schooling) because of the pandemic lockdowns, which in turn, can impact upon job and education opportunities and financial remuneration.
This year, there is all the more need to remind ourselves of the importance of gender equality in both theory and practice! Gender equality means a better society for all.
REFERENCES
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/announcer-international-womens-day-2021
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56169219
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55016842
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/announcer-international-womens-day-2021