AN EQUAL WORLD IS AN ENABLED WORLD.
Supporting and celebrating women’s rights is a year-round responsibility. But at its core, International Women’s Day serves an important purpose.
It forces conversations about women’s achievements and global gender inequality into the mainstream – and it invites people of all backgrounds, ages and genders to consider what they can do to make the world a more equal place for everyone.
“BuT wOmEn AlReAdY hAvE tHe SaMe RiGhTs As MeN” – your average “nice guy”.
You sure about that? Here’s 10 reasons why we need International Women’s Day:
1) Nine out of 10 people found to be biased against women.[1]
2) Women are twice as likely to be a victim of domestic or sexual abuse compared to men.[2]
3) Women are three times as likely to be a victim of stalking compared to men. [3]
4) A gender pay gap persists across the globe – in the UK women work for free two months a year. [3]
5) Women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics.[4]
6) Men are still allowed to make life-threatening decisions about women’s bodies by banning abortions.[5]
7) Women around the world spend on average more than twice as many hours as men doing unpaid work.[6]
8) Figures also show that globally, women’s education, health and violence towards women is still worse than that of men.[3]
9) Disasters such as floods, storms and drought kill more women than men due to the unequal division of power and resources between women and men.[7]
10) More than 12 million underage girls are married off each year. That’s roughly 30,000 every single day.[8,9]
Clearly, there’s still a long way to go, but IWD plays a pivotal role in keeping the debate alive and the issues front and centre.
But let’s not forget, women exist the other 364 days of the year as well. People should be celebrating and standing up for women throughout the course of the year, not just for one day.
The If Not Now team is 75% female and 100% feminist (love you Chris), so we take gender equality very seriously. We live for inclusion, diversity and building women up and making sure their voices are heard.
That’s why, every year to celebrate International Women’s Day, we each choose a women’s charity to donate to…
HANNA HENSHALL
This year, I’m supporting SAFELINK BRISTOL.
Domestic and sexual abuse is a gendered crime which is deeply rooted in the societal inequality between men and women. Women are assaulted 35 times before they reach out for help. And 31% of young women aged 18-24 report having experienced sexual abuse in childhood. Women continue to be overwhelmingly the majority of victims of domestic and sexual abuse, and sadly many women struggle to escape the abuse permanently, build their independence, and get their lives back.
SafeLink provides support for anyone who has been the victim of rape and sexual abuse across the Avon and Somerset area. They also provide women’s mental health and domestic abuse support service. Please check them out and donate if you can.
HANNAH CONDUIT
FOR IWD, I’m supporting the MALALA FUND.
Empowering young women through education, especially those facing poverty, war and discrimination, is essential in building a better future. If we are to stand any chance of solving the climate crisis in a fair and just manner, then women will be at the centre of that fight. This charity helps to break down the barriers that prevent more that 130 million girls around the world from going to school, so check them out and donate too if you’re able to!
MORWENNA MASTERS
This year I would like to support REFUGEE WOMEN OF BRISTOL.
The bravery of refugee and asylum-seeking women is incredible; I cannot begin to imagine the journeys they have been on. With hate crime on the rise alongside the turmoil of Brexit and recent elections, we should be supporting these incredible women especially and giving them the best possible chance to thrive in our society. It should really already be our default, but empowering women is key to building a successful society. Check them out!
CHRIS BETTLES
My chosen charity is WOMANKIND.
Because of the amazing work they do supporting women’s movements around the world. I truly believe that if we address gender inequality and women’s rights within our global society, we will be able to better tackle many of the other challenges we face – especially including war and poverty. WomanKind has 3 key aims:
1) To end all forms of violence against women and girls
2) To Improve women’s economic rights and control over resources and
3) To boost Women’s influence in decision making and ability to exercise political power.
Like the sound of that? Now go and find out more about this awesome charity!
REFERENCES
[1] Human Development Reports: Tackling Social Norms, a game changer for gender inequalities [2] Office for National Statistics: Domestic Abuse Victim Characteristics, England and Wales 2019 [3] The Guardian: Women Work For Free For Two Months A Year Says TUC Analysis [4] The Telegraph: IWD Fights For Women’s Rights [5] The Guardian: This all-male council in Texas just voted to ban abortion [6] PanMacmillan: Shocking Gender Inequality Facts [7] World Health Organisation: Gender, Climate Change and Health [8] World Economic Forum: Child Marriage is Stalling Sustainable Development [9] Girls Not Brides: Child Marriage Around the World
