Balance For Better
It’s no secret that history was hard on women. If you were one of today’s modern ladies living 200 years ago, it’s likely you would be tortured and shamed. No kidding – women were not allowed to have opinions and certainly should not voice them if they did.
Today, things have vastly improved for women. Here at Jacobs Steel, we’ve been celebrating International Women’s Day and, in an industry that has always been very male dominated, we’re proud to have a 50/50 gender balance across our entire workforce and even prouder that 4 out of our 6 very successful Branch Managers are female.
Why we celebrate International Women’s Day
IWD is celebrated globally on 8th March every year and is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights. It honours the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women; and marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
The earliest Women’s Day observance, called “National Woman’s Day, was held way back on February 28, 1909, in New York. That’s an incredible 110 years ago.
In 1914 International Women’s Day was held on March 8 in Germany, possibly because that day was a Sunday, and now it is always held on March 8 in all countries. The 1914 observance of the Day in Germany was dedicated to women’s right to vote, which German women did not win until 1918.
On the same day in London, March 8 1914, there was a march from Bow to Trafalgar Square in support of women’s suffrage.
The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations. Previous official UN themes for the day have included Gender Equality, Building a more secure future; investing in women and girls and world free of violence against women. This year, the theme is ‘Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change’.
Today, IWD is an official holiday in 28 countries.
We are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects balance. We notice its absence and celebrate its presence.
As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, activity is underway celebrating women’s achievements and tenaciously challenging bias.
