INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: A DAY TO CELEBRATE THE ELEGANCE OF WOMENHOOD

By Saida Egeh

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. It is also a day to acknowledge the ongoing struggle for gender equality and to raise awareness of the issues women face worldwide. Each year, IWD has a theme, and for 2023, the theme is “Embrace Equity.”

“Embrace Equity” means recognizing that gender equality cannot be achieved without addressing other forms of inequality, such as race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. It means acknowledging and addressing the intersecting forms of discrimination that women face and working towards creating a world where everyone has equal opportunities and rights.

The “Embrace Equity” theme is particularly relevant given the current global climate. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities, with marginalized groups, including women, being disproportionately affected.

Women’s rights activists and organizations around the world are using International Women’s Day to call for action to address these intersecting inequalities. This includes promoting intersectional feminism, which acknowledges the complex and intersecting forms of discrimination that women face and advocating for policies that promote equity and inclusion.

The “Embrace Equity” theme encourages everyone to recognize and address the multiple forms of discrimination that women face. It’s a call to action to work towards a world where everyone has equal opportunities and rights, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, class, or sexual orientation. Women’s rights have been at the forefront of discussions and debates for decades, and rightly so. Women have been fighting for their rights for centuries and have made great strides in achieving gender equality. However, despite significant progress, gender-based discrimination and violence still exist around the world.

Women’s Rights: An Essential Part of a Just Society

Women’s rights are essential to achieving a just and equitable society. The denial of equal rights and opportunities for women is not only unjust but also detrimental to society. Women’s rights movements have fought for women’s right to education, employment, the right to vote, equal pay, and equal representation in government and other decision-making bodies. These rights are fundamental to ensuring that women can reach their full potential and contribute their skills and talents to society.

The Struggles Faced by Women

Women have faced many struggles in their fight for equality. For centuries, women have been denied access to education and employment opportunities, limiting their potential and contributions to society. In many countries, women have limited access to healthcare, resulting in poor health outcomes. Gender-based violence remains a significant issue globally, with many women suffering physical, emotional, and psychological harm. Women who speak out against gender-based discrimination and violence often face backlash and retaliation from their communities and employers.

Women have organized and spoken out against gender-based discrimination and violence, including the #MeToo movement, which highlighted the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. Women’s rights activists like Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for women’s suffrage and the right to vote in the United States. These struggles have been critical in raising awareness and advocating for women’s rights.

The Importance of Women’s Rights Today

Despite significant progress, women still face challenges in their fight for equality. Women are still underrepresented in many areas, including politics and leadership positions. Women still face unequal pay and opportunities in the workforce, perpetuating poverty, and inequality. Discrimination in education and employment can limit women’s access to resources and opportunities, preventing them from reaching their full potential.

Embrace Equity” is a powerful message for International Women’s Day 2023. It’s a call to action to recognize and address the multiple forms of discrimination that women face and to work towards creating a world where everyone has equal opportunities and rights.

It became clear that democracy faces serious setbacks and challenges particularly in Africa. Firstly, despite huge efforts and investments made over the years, democracy continues to lack necessary cultural elements of Africans.

Furthermore, during pre-colonials, Africans used to have customary and tribal leadership hierarchies, conflict resolution methods and the sense of communal ownership and membership principles. Whereas democracy provides an independent judiciary, incorruptible police and security forces and the development of citizenship under a single inclusive political authority. So, the dilemma in most African countries is hybrid governance, that is a system that introduces some elements of democratic model, and at the same remains a highly tribalized and ethnic society, in an economically less fortunate setting. Where people give their loyalty more to their ethnic groups than the state.

In addition to that, though widely praised for ensuring individual freedoms, political stability and creating economic opportunities and shared prosperity, yet in its current forms does not fully incorporate the traditions, customs, and social structures integral to African beliefs and practices, particularly in dealing with conflicts, sharing scarce resources and their management such water, and handling collective communal affairs such marriages, funerals.

Over the last few decades, many African nations suffered greatly from disputed general elections, where opposition leaders kept claiming the voting systems as rigged and unreliable, while on the other hand, the ruling elites and groups insisted