So this morning one of my wonderful female cousins sent me this beautiful rose to celebrate IWD 2018, which I sent on to all my female friends on my contact list.  I am not one to reply to chain letters or to reply to circle pics etc., but this rose had the benefit of not telling me to send it on, so I chose to do it, certainly not expecting any back!  However I got about 60% of those I sent out returned the rose to me which actually made me smile (simple things!!).  Although I did get one from my oldest and best friend saying

“Love the rose but why do we need a day? More rubbish from America!”   Now please don’t feel that she dislikes the US, she’s absoloutely in love with America!  Nevertheless it did start me thinking because I thought that women’s day started a very long time ago and in England.

Well I was almost right it started in the 1908 when the women in the US started fighting for votes and equal rights for better pay and shorter working hours with their first march through New York City and this was later taken up by Germany in 1910 and celebrated for the first time as an international day in 1911 on March 19 and then  in 1913 it was changed to March 8th and celebrated every year since.

So in 110 years and with a second female why are women still having to fight for equality?  Why are there still jobs where women are not being paid an equally with mens salaries?

All companies in the UK (but not in Northern Ireland) with more than 250 employees will be reporting on their gender pay gap and the Government Equalities Office will be reporting by the 30th March, and all companies by 4th April.   Companies will also be reporting the degree of differences between bonuses and wages between men and women. However the World Economic Forum reported in 2017 that globally the equality gap will take another 100 years to disappear completely.

Unfortunately, women’s health and education and opportunities for higher level positions in the workplace and in politics worldwide is worse off than for men and although there is more awareness now of violence towards men because at last there is more reporting of this, the figure of violence towards women is still very high.

In 2017 in America the #metoo movement started and continued over here, where women have been coming forward to tell the world of how they have been sexually abused in the film & tv world.  Some men have also come forward but not as many.  Whereas women are finally feeling empowered to come forward, men are still feeling that they can’t.   Some women will say that the number of women being hurt is higher than men being hurt, but I don’t think this is realistic because until we make it normal and more acceptable worldwide for men to come forward, the figures cannot be measured.

Today also there is a new campaign starting to #EndPeriodPoverty in the UK.  We are used to hearing that in the poorer countries sanitary products are not found and for years women here in the UK have been sending packages including sanitary products.  However, today I heard how young women are staying off school/college because their parents are unable to afford to buy sanitary products for their daughters.  In many cases mothers have been found to be stealing sanitary products for their daughters.  Really in 2018 in the UK should this be happening?!

Anyway I would recommend that even if a small way, celebrate International Women’s day! #IWD2018 and post a photo of yourself when you were a young girl with the #EndPeriodPoverty and then don’t forget to celebrate International’s Mens Day on November 19th for awareness on men’s health and sexual violence against men and make it normal for men to come forward also.

 #EndPeriodPoverty