YLD Spotlight

YLD RECOGNIZES International Women's Day

by katherine e. camadeco, esq.

Tuesday, March 8th is International Women’s Day. In 1975, the United Nations designated International Women’s Day to recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about women’s equality. International Women’s Day finds its roots in the United States, beginning in 1908 when women garment workers began striking and marching through the streets of New York City to protest working conditions. A year later, the United States observed the first National Women’s Day on February 28th. In 1910, the idea for an International Women’s Day was raised at an International Conference of Working Women with the idea that women would be celebrated in every country annually. In 1911, International Women’s Day was honored for the first time.

In 1917, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace,” as the country was facing the ravages of war. The women continued to strike and protest for four days when the Czar abdicated, and a provisional government granted women the right to vote. The strike began on March 8th on the Gregorian calendar and International Women’s Day has been celebrated on March 8th ever since.

Women have made significant strides since those early protests. But work remains to be done for women to achieve equality. Gender discrimination permeates all areas of women’s lives. - The United Nations reports one in five women and girls have experienced physical and or sexual violence by an intimate partner within the last 12 months. Forty-nine countries do not have laws protecting women from domestic violence.

- Approximately 30 countries still practice female genital mutilation, which 1 in 3 girls between 15-19 years old will experience. - The United Nations indicates “nearly 60 percent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty.” - Women earn 23% less than men globally. - In eighteen countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working. - Women face further economic inequality in the “pink tax,” which is a system of gender-based discriminatory pricing on products and services. It is estimated the pink tax costs the average woman $1,300 per year. - Women are only in 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide.

These issues also exist here in the United States. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that one in three women experience physical violence by an intimate partner. According to the Pew Research Center, women earned 84% of what men earned in 2020. These issues affect us all.

On Tuesday, March 8th, join us in celebrating the accomplishments of women and join the call to action to end inequality for women everywhere.

Katherine E. Camadeco, Esq. is the President of the Young Lawyers Divsion of the Lee County Bar Association and an attorney at O’Halloran & Simmons, PLLC where she practices in the area of Marital and Family Law.