International Women’s Day.
Every day is a
Women’s Day. A woman has to make her own
day regardless of her circumstances and surroundings. It needs courage and
confidence. To celebrate one day of the year for the occasion is to insult the
women, who do not attain any special status in society. One day is celebrated
as Women’s Day, leaving 364 days to be Men’s Days, which indirectly glorifies
the male dominated society. Does it justify the liberated independent women
status we are trying to attain?
The history of
International Women’s Day is a history of taking action. The event originated
in 1908, when women garment makers in New
York demonstrated to demand better working
conditions. They worked in appalling conditions, earned half of men’s wages,
died prematurely from poor health and did not have the right to vote.
In 1910, an
international conference of women resolved that each year a day should be
appointed to raise a voice for women’s demands. Since then, International
Women’s day (IWD) has been celebrated around the world each year on 8th March.
From its inception IWD has stood for equality between men and women.
Going back to the
history of IWD, the first IWD was held on 19th March, 1911 in Germany, Austria,
Denmark
and some other European countries. This date was chosen by German women because
on that date in 1848, the Prussian King, faced with an armed uprising had
promised many reforms, including an unfulfilled one of votes for women.
The most
memorable IWD was held in Petrograd (now Leningrad)
in March 1917, when workers were locked out of the Putilov armaments plant on
March 7th, the women of Petrograd
began to storm the streets. The wives, daughters and mothers of soldiers,
previously as downtrodden and oppressed as prostitutes, demanded an end to
their humiliation and angrily denounced all the hungry suffering of the past
years. These women launched their first revolution in 1917. Since that time,
IWD has experienced many ebbs and flows as a day that helps to push women’s
issues onto the political agenda.
On the 50th
anniversary of IWD in 1960, as many as 729 delegates from 73 countries met at a
conference in Copenhagen.
It adopted a general declaration of support for the political, economical and
social rights of women. In 1972, the
United Nations proclaimed 1975 as The International Women’s Year, in order to
promote gender equality and development for women along with world peace.
During this year in 1975, IWD was given official recognition by the UN and was
taken up by many governments who had not previously known of its existence. The
same year also focused on the role played by women in the public life against
social resistance. While examining the history of the social reform movement in
the 19th century and the freedom movement of our country, we
realized the glorious contribution of Indian women towards social reforms and
the liberation of our country. It makes us realize that Indian women have a
great potential and can generate social transformation.
The world
conference held in Mexico City
adopted the world plan of action in 1975 with great regard to promotion of
employment, health care and education for women. In 1980, the General Assembly
of the UN adopted International Development Strategy. At the world conference
of the United National Decade for women held in Nairobi, Kenya during July
1985, a document called ‘Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of
Women’ , from 1986 to 2000 was adopted the consensus among the representatives
of 150 countries.
The government of
India appointed a committee
on the status of women in India
to examine different aspects of women’s survival struggles and gave
recommendations to enable women to play their full role and contribute for the
national development. In 1974, this committee submitted its landmark report
“Towards Equality”, which revealed that the process of transformation since Independence did not improve the status of women in India.
This made the planners and the policy makers realize that
Indian women still face to be the declining sex, economically marginalized and
suffer atrocities and discriminations within the existing family law. To
safeguard women’s interest and take an affirmative step the Sixth Five Year
Plan, for the first time in the history of the Planning Commission of India,
allotted a special chapter on women, but it was dismissed in the Parliament. As
a result the print media focused attention on it and a year late it became a
major focus of public inquiry due to the International Women’s Year. Indian
government then adopted a National plan of Action for women, keeping in mind
the recommendations of the report after it got a mandate from the parliament.
This report forced our policy makers to shed away their complacency about the
high status enjoyed by the Indian women or to assume that the culture of India
assures empowerment of women. It brought to the fore the grey realities in the
lives of Indian women.
Of course, much
has improved since then, but we still have some way to go to achieve equal
opportunities for women, throughout the world. It is about remembering the
battle long fought to build a society that is just and fair to all its members.
A society in which diversity, tolerance, safety, social justice and equality
between men and women is given priority. Does India in the run have a platform
for the women at the grass root level?
The rural women, the women of the minority communities are unaware of
these rights and celebrations. There is no celebration in the lives of those
women who have no access to education, to socialize, to personal liberty, freedom
of thought and speech and economic independence. Nothing belongs to women in
orthodox, conservative families. Though a home to multiple cultures, India has always stood the same for women of
every culture. The reason is the male
dominated culture that is deep-rooted since time immemorial. Nothing belongs to
women, not even their names, which personifies her identity is changed after
marriage. Everything is ‘given’ or ‘thrust’ upon them. They face physical and
mental torture in their homes. They are unaware of their counterparts
celebrating one day in their remorseful whole year as a day for establishing
their identity. It is but a day that reminds ground realities of women’s world.
Many reforms are
made, government has taken many positive steps towards the empowerment of
women. But it is the duty of one and all to support these reforms by changing
their ‘mindset’. Every man and every woman should encourage equality and
independence.
Betty Freidan, an
American, who ignited the feminist movement, wrote in her book, The Feminine
Mystique, --- “A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty who am I,
and what do I want out of life? She
mustn’t feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of
husband and children.”
The book changed many women’s lives, it opened women’s mind
to the idea that there actually might be something more. And for the women who
secretly harbored such unpopular thoughts, it told them that there were in fact
other women out there like them who thought there might be something more to
life.
International
Women’s Day celebrations are made pompous with parties, dancing and enjoying
for a certain section of society. In its stead 365 days of the year should be
lived with status and dignity by women, glorifying their role not for just one
day but for all the days, reflecting and celebrating life.
