“She is a warrior capable of slaying the demons in life. She is a pioneer capable of choosing her own path. She is a trailblazer capable of achieving new horizons. Just give her some time and see her bedazzle the world.” – Avijeet Das

A woman is one of the most beautiful creations of nature. She’s powerful and confident, strong-willed, compassionate, fragile, and also fierce. Therefore, she indeed needs to be talked about and celebrated. Not only that, but her problems need to be addressed.

So, the United Nations celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8th annually to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for action to accelerate gender equality. This year International Women’s Day will be celebrated under the theme “DigitALL: Information and technology for gender equality” while aiming to recognize the contribution of women and girls towards technology and online education. The digital gender gap in inequality for women and girls is identified by the United Nations as an emerging problem that needs quick solutions, which are expected to be addressed this year. 

Nations worldwide celebrate the IWD using purple (signifying ‘justice and dignity”) along with white and green as the colours of the IWD. This is also a national holiday in many countries. Some countries even provide women with work leaves, whilst America issues a Presidential proclamation honouring the achievements of American women. 

Considering the present situation, many cases of gender-based discrimination, child marriages, and women’s abuse are being reported every hour. This discrimination hinders women from reaching the standards and heights they dream of. Therefore, women need to be empowered and appreciated. And this is what International Women’s Day aims to do. IWD motivates women to achieve boundaries that they are not motivated to achieve. 

Women in many countries have been and are currently struggling and fighting for their rights. The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan can be identified as a significant instance that has hindered women in the recent past. They banned women from higher education, working, and even travelling long distances. Such barriers need to be questioned and voiced. 

Being a woman means being strong enough to stand up for herself and fight for what she believes in. Not only women, but even men have an equal responsibility to stand up for women. We need to voice out against gender-based discrimination. Bearing that in mind, IWD should be celebrated to break gender-based stereotypes and support the successful journey of women. 

As a result of numerous voices and actions raised by organizations and individuals worldwide, we see many improvements in women’s participation in various fields in the world today.

The Olympics in Beijing in 2020 had the most gender-balanced winter games, with 45% of women participating. Even the US Soccer Federation agreed to pay equally for its men’s and women’s teams, making them the first ever sport to pay equally for both genders. From these reported events, we can say that we are moving forward on the path towards gender parity, even though it is not yet fully achieved. 

The only step to achieving gender equality is to motivate women to do what they are capable of instead of demotivating them by bringing up gender-based discrimination. Motivation can be achieved by appreciating past achievements and clearing the path for future achievements. Clearing the path for their future successes includes speaking out against any kind of discrimination and abuse that may happen. 

A world with happy women will always be beautiful. For that, we need to help her climb the ladder of success. So, on this International Women’s Day, let’s embrace equality and empower her for a better future.

There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.

Written by: Rtr. Yerani Gunawardana

Graphic design by: Rtr. Gayantha Shehan