Each year on the 8th of March, people around the world commemorate International Women’s Day by presenting women’s day gifts to the ladies. This day is an opportunity to celebrate the political, social, cultural, and economic accomplishments of women, and to ponder on how far we have arrived. It is also an opportunity to realize that we still have to go a long way. The effort for parity is an ongoing struggle and one that needs the combined efforts of everybody – not only women.
In this article, we will describe the inception of International Women’s Day and share opinions on what organizations can do to assist drive gender equality.
How did International Women’s Day Begin?
An extraordinary truth about International Women’s Day is that its roots rest with America’s Socialist Party. This organization formed the initial National Women’s Day in 1909 to celebrate a garment workers’ strike that occurred in 1908 in New York, where women opposed the working circumstances.
After a year, at the Global Socialist Women’s meeting in Copenhagen, International Women’s Day was formally instituted to acknowledge the women’s rights campaign and to develop support for global suffrage.
The result of the Copenhagen drive could be witnessed globally later on: International Women’s Day was commemorated for the first time in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, where over a million men and women visited demonstrations. Also, International Women’s Day became a means to oppose the First World War. In 1917, Russian women decided to strike for “Peace and Bread,” which ultimately led to the relinquishment of Czar Nicholas II and gave women the liberty to vote. Across Europe, women carried on to hold demonstrations to oppose the war or to express unification with other activists.
In 1975, the United Nations formally appointed the 8th of March as International Women’s Day and familiarized this unique day when it summoned member nations to observe with them. For a few years, the United Nations has designated themes for each International Women’s Day. And the theme for 2020 is #IamGenerationEquality.
How Organizations can Create a Gender-Balanced World
It begins by performing a set of small acts that give impact full outcomes. Here are some thoughts to be considered:
- Supporting Women Resuming Work: While giving plentiful maternity leave is a good beginning, this solely is not sufficient to make women feel encouraged at work. It’s equally essential to establish women up for progress when they resume their jobs after leaving. The transformation can be appalling – with more than ⅓ of American moms not resuming work post deliveries. There are several ways to build a more auxiliary culture: allow a part-time or flexible schedule and create a network, particularly for new moms returning to work
- Commit to Salary Equality: The gender pay gap is a huge concern that has received important consideration in the past several years. You can create a variation in your organization by implementing the best methods around payment, like conducting a payment gap study or discovering ways to standardize production reviews. Another plan to consider is offering salary transparency. While this is a critical action to operate and isn’t fundamentally the best answer, it can be a huge move ahead in terms of promoting equality. Despite what you pick, the initial step forward is opening up the discussion.
Celebrating International Women’s Day at Work
Impressive changes do not occur overnight. Nevertheless, that does not indicate you must overlook International Women’s Day without any acceptance of what it depicts. Below are some thoughts on how to display support for this memorable day at your organization:
- Celebrate at Work: If you possess sufficient time to plan, design an entire day in the office about International Women’s Day. Get in spokespeople to address significant gender-focused concerns, encourage your staff members to attend women’s events, or let your CEO deliver a presentation on what your organization is doing to build up women in the office.
- Donate to a Charity: As an organization, give donations to organizations for women that your staff cares about. There are several amazing nonprofits to pick from, relying upon which concerns you are most enthusiastic about. To mention a few: Marie Stopes International, National Women’s Law Center, Kiva, Planned Parenthood, and Dress for Success.
- Chat Session with Counsellor: A woman goes through a lot of stress and pressure while handling work in the office and at home simultaneously. You can book a counselor with whom women employees can talk, discuss their personal issues, and find accurate solutions.
- Surprise them with Flowers: Decorate their desk before they arrive. Place their favorite bunch of flowers with a short Thank You note telling them how they have helped you and inspired you to work better. Else, sending them special Women’s Day flowers to their personal addresses on behalf of the company is going to add delight to their usual day.
- Cake Cutting Celebration: On Women’s Day, every woman should feel special and realize that they are lucky to be born a woman. You can arrange a cake for Women’s Day and make them feel special by cake cutting. You can also arrange a party decided well in advance by male employees can be the prettiest honor for them.
- Create a Special Policy for them: Women value a job that allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. They are likely to remain loyal and dedicated to such employers. On IWD, you can either create a new policy or modify an existing one to make it more women-friendly.
