With the proliferation of “national day of this” and “international day of that,” you may be tired of hearing about them. Don’t tune out completely just yet! Some of these days of recognition are worthwhile. They can highlight important issues, the organizations and people who focus on them and opportunities for engagement or just plain fun.
For example, March 8, 2011 is the 100th International Women’s Day. As described below, this day is a cause for celebration as well as remembering specific inequalities and challenges that especially face women.
Some studies have shown that as caretakers, the income and education levels of women can affect a families’ health. So, if you are looking for a specific focus to make a difference in public health, learn more about women’s health. The World Health Organization’s Gender, Women and Health program is one place to start to understand women’s health status in different countries and what is being done to help.
Copied from About International Women’s Day:
The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation….The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
However, great improvements have been made….And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.
Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.
