International Women’s Day 2010: Equal Opportunity Requires A Paradigm Shift

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Mar 072010
 

As part of the observance of International Women’s Day this year, the United Nations, has chosen “Equal rights, equal opportunity: Progress for all.” as its theme.  Sadly, in large measure  achieving these ideals is still very much a work in progress.

While to be sure, there has been much progress in the last few decades, women still hold only a small fraction of elected offices.  Women earn pennies on the dollar earned by their male counterparts while juggling the overwhelming burden of caring work for no pay at all.

In parts of the world, women are raped and murdered when they go to fetch water and firewood for their families.  Schools for girls are fire-bombed and acid is thrown in the faces of girls who have the temerity to want an education.

When women are raped, they are accused of being  adulterers and are stoned to death  or in other ways killed to salvage their family’s honor.  In many countries, young girls are still forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation.

Abortion is still illegal, unsafe and/or inaccessible for many women and hundreds of thousands of women die unnecessarily from childbirth related reasons.  Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be attacked by fellow soldiers than by any enemy and women, particularly in Southeast Asia, are all too often victimized by sex traffickers and forced into prostitution near military bases or are trafficked into domestic slavery.

There is a word for this and it is misogyny.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where things mostly operate on the notion that power comes from winning battles and controlling resources and people.  Implicitly in such a system, you can not allow those you want to control to become equal.  And in this world, there is a long history of men asserting control over women.

The only way this changes is to redefine empowerment.  Imagine a world in which we lay claim to power that comes from the worthiness of how we conduct our own lives and how we connect with the world around us, rather than insisting that we must control things.  For there to be equality of rights and opportunity, that is the paradigm change we will need to make.  And in doing so, we can begin to become fully empowered and leave the damage of misogyny behind us.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

The Feminist Peace Network is proud to participate in the Gender Across Borders Blog for IWD.  To read more more fabulous blogs, click here.  For more International Women’s Day coverage on the Feminist Peace Network, click here.

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 Posted by on March 7, 2010

International Women’s Day–Celebrations And Statements

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Mar 072010
 

In San Jose, CA/US:

An ad hoc committee to celebrate Iranian women’s movement will host a rally in honor of International Women’s Day on March 7, 2010. The event is to be held in recognition of the courage and resilience Iranian women have shown during the last thirty one years of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Sunday, March 7, 2010, 1-4 pm
Cesar Chavez Plaza, Downtown San Jose

Wonderful photos from the Million Women Rise march in London:

From WILPF:

On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) marks our commitment and continued affirmation this day and every day for the full recognition and fulfillment of women’s human rights and security in all spheres.

International Women’s Day is a day to acknowledge women’s rights for equal participation in economic and political decision-making, to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of women, and to denounce gender discrimination and gender violence.

WILPF rejects the notion that gender equality has been achieved. On the 15th anniversary of the historic Beijing World Conference on Women, the United Nations must move without further delay to implement changes that it has repeatedly recognized as critical to fulfilling its mandate of working for gender equality as a crucial component of development, human rights, peace, and security.

UN Member States must also be held accountable for the commitments they have already made to women. This year marks the tenth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which urges Member States to ensure increased representation of women in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.

WILPF calls for full implementation of all four United Nations Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security (UNSCR 1325, 1820, 1888, and 1889).

IWD in Toronto (love the black and white photography!):


The Independent (UK) looks at 100 women who changed the world and also analyzes how much progress we’ve made when it comes to women’s rights.

Amnesty supporters in London stage a die-in to highlight maternal mortality.

And finally, from a collection of SMS messages in honor of IWD:

Where she can be flying
She don’t ask for the wings,
Just break up her rings

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 Posted by on March 7, 2010

International Women’s Day Events Calendar–3/5/10

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Mar 052010
 

From Louisville, KY:

IWDBradenCenter

IWD in China:

Managers operating businesses in China should be aware of the legal implications surrounding this annual holiday. According to Chinese government regulations, all full-time female employees are entitled to a half day off from work every year on March 8. Essential female employees (such as hospital staff or police) who are required to work on March 8 must be compensated at three times their normal salary rate for the half day of work.

Employers are not required to give a half-day off if March 8 falls on a weekend or to part-time employees who already work half-days. Companies who do not recognize the holiday could face penalties levied by local governments if they are reported by their employees. China does not recognize any corresponding holiday for male employees.

From Mauritius, this thought-provoking commentary (click link to read the whole piece, highly recommended):

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all, a theme which gives us little room for complacency, still less a reason to brag. To be fair, however, although this country can hardly be considered a haven for gender equality since the relationship between men and women is still one of oppression, or at least of relative dominance, great efforts have been made recently to empower women.

The Ministry of Women has virtually dragged housewives out of their hiding places and made entrepreneurs out of them. Also, many girls, previously considered unmanageable, have been rehabilitated by the Ministry of Social Security in half-way homes and trained into professions where they can now make a living. Still, far too many women, shackled with the burden of children and heavily dependent on their partners for their survival are subject to all kinds of abuse. Other professionally trained mothers find themselves forced to reduce their participation in the workforce and downscale their hopes for achievement.

But this is not what the discussions will be about. Because of the imminent elections and the legitimate ambitions of the few privileged women, the debate about equal opportunities for women will again tend to focus on quotas and getting more women involved in politics and forget, to a large extent, about dealing with the plight of the thousands of ordinary women.

In Hollywood (although we wish this was being directed by a woman, just saying):

A number of Hollywood unions and guilds, Producers Guild of America, Women in Film and the women’ committees of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Writers Guild of America West, have organized a night of dramatic readings of blogs and poems written by Afghan Women living in Afghanistan, mentored by American novelists, screenwriters and journalists.

The program, “Out of Silence” will be held at the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance on March 8, 2010 – International Women’s Day, and is directed by Frederick Ponzlov.

And finally, some musings from Katha Pollitt who reports that when it comes to measuring  gender egalitarianism, the U.S. ranks–wait for it–31–right between Lithuania and Namibia,

What’s the lesson for the United States? Wealth helps, but it’s not enough. It’s not automatic that as a country becomes richer and more developed men and women become more equal–especially when conservative religion has power, as in the United States and many nations. To an unusual degree, Americans resist “government” solutions to women’s inequality as an affront to meritocracy and individual initiative. But without paid parental leave and a reliable system of quality childcare, women will never be able to get much further toward workplace equality than they are now. Scandinavia’s extensive and flexible system of support for parents, including single mothers, is one of the major reasons Scandinavia leads the world in gender equality. Similarly, countries with lots of women in parliament–Rwanda is first, with 56 percent–tend to have quota systems, at least at first. The United States seemed to recognize their efficiency and fairness when it supported quotas in Iraq and Afghanistan. But here at home? Hard to imagine.

Definitely food for thought not only in the U.S. but as women everywhere blaze the path towards the future.

Many celebrations are taking place over the weekend in advance of IWD–please send us your pictures and we will  post as many as we can.  Be sure to check the blog on Monday when we will be participating in the IWD Blogathon.

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 Posted by on March 5, 2010

Sell-Abrating International Women’s Day

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Mar 032010
 

As any long term reader of the Feminist Peace Network blog knows, I have no patience with cause-branding for profit at the expense of women’s lives and rights.  Here a few of this year’s not so delightful IWD offenders:

This ad for a new LG Ice Cream phone gets our nod for misogynist bad taste this year:

It is international Women’s day (sic) coming up soon on March 8th, for those of you that didn’t know already.

LG have their LG KF350 otherwise known as the Ice Cream which is just in time for those of you that want to treat that special lady in your life. Whether that be your mum or your girlfriend, or whoever that special lady is.

This is a delightful phone which is available in lovely candy floss colours of either vanilla or pink. It is all girly and is a great lady phone for sure. Although this was launched in Korea back in 2008 the device is only just making its way over here.

However this year we bestow our lowest honor, the what part of sex trafficking do you not understand is wrong award, to 1888pressrelease.com for a press release for Hot Russian Brides that reads,

In an effort to help members develop their relationships further, leading International Dating service (aka “russian bride”) HotRussianBrides.com® is offering an additional 50% off the already discounted Video Streaming rate to Premium Members with active Intimacy Requests to celebrate International Women’s Day. The promotion takes places on March 8, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Eastern Time.  Picture 35

International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, is a global celebration of women. Since HotRussianBrides.com empowers Russian and Ukrainian women to find love anywhere in the World, the day is widely used as an occasion for men to express their love for the special women in their lives.

The release goes on to explain that this is a dating service not a mail order bride service.  Uh huh. Oh and as for 1888pressrelease.com, you’ll be pleased to know that,

Because we aim to carry only quality releases, editors and journalists have come to rely on 1888PressRelease.com as a credible source of information. In fact, our troupe of editors manually reviews and approves each press release to ensure it has significant content, meets formatting and grammatical standards, and is newsworthy.

No, really, drippy pink phones and exploitive dating services aren’t newsworthy or significant, even if they meet grammatical standards (although our sensitive lady-eyes appreciate that gesture towards English grammar while hawking Russian brides), and do not celebrate the lives of women. In fact, they just look like crass, misogynist anything to make a buck business as usual to us.  In other words, go shove your crappy merchandising and keep your grubby little advertising campaigns off our holiday.

Finally, the Feminist Peace Network continues to call for a boycott (or more to the point woman-cott) of InternationalWomen’sDay.com which, while offering information on IWD is primarily devoted to pointing traffic towards Reuters news stories (Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters is one of the primary sponsors for the site).  Here are some of the IWD-irrelevant headlines they were hawking on March 2:

–Getting naked for art at the Sydney Opera House
–Pharma desire for “female Viagra” excites passion
–Children over-exposed to sexual imagery
–Women and men travellers tend to get different illnesses
–Britain sorry for shipping children to colonies
–Your old mascara may be spoiling your looks
–Exhibit lifts the skirts on feminine footwear

International Women’s Day is a human rights celebration not an advertising opportunity.  While the website does in part provide a service, more than half of it is devoted to driving traffic to Reuters and that is not acceptable.  You can read more about the boycott call here.

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 Posted by on March 3, 2010

International Women’s Day Events Calendar 3/2/10

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Mar 022010
 

International Women’s Day is almost here and again this week announcements keep pouring in for all the amazing and inspiring events being held throughout the world. This will be our last weekly update but we will continue to post events between now and the 8th. Be sure to also check out tomorrow’s post on some Sell-abrations that we are less than enthusiastic about. Really, just one day a year could we maybe cut out the exploitation of women? Sadly, apparently not–but today we are all about the upcoming celebrations that honor women’s lives and on the 8th we will have a special post as part of the IWD Blogathon (see below).In the meantime, here is what we have to look forward to:

In Harlem (New York City), NY/US there will be numerous events to bring attention to the needs of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  See here and here for details.

Nevada, CA/US’s

KVMR’s Women’s Collective Members will join or replace regularly scheduled DJs on International Women’s Day to celebrate in our own, KVMR way! Please join us in spreading the word about International Women’s Day and listen in when you can.

From March 8-31, 2010, The Women’s International Network of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC-WIN)

is organizing the sixth annual International Women’s Day Broadcast Campaign. The campaign will feature programs produced by community radio stations around the world. This year’s theme is: “Empowering and celebrating women as agents of recovery.”

AMARC-WIN welcomes submissions on all topics of importance to women, especially those related to this year’s theme. Programs may be in any language, but must be accompanied by a brief description of content in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Submissions should be made by March 4, 2010. For more information on how to make a submission, click here.

The International Women’s Day Broadcast Campaign will begin at 1:00 GMT on Monday, March 8. The webcast will be available here.

Turkmenistan

has prepared a large-scale program of celebration of the International Women’s Day – March 8. As the Turkmenistan.ru correspondent reports from Ashgabat, the program was published in the print media of Turkmenistan. The program includes a series of exhibitions of works of fine and decorative art, festive forums, concerts, performances, soirees and competitions that will be held in the capital and across the country.

For example, the beauty contest among the female students titled “Talyp Gozeli -2010″ and contest of artists titled “Woman – the beauty of the world” will be held in Ashgabat ahead of the approaching spring festival in honor of “the fair sex” of humanity. On March 7, the opera “Shahsenem and Gharib” will be performed at the National Music and Drama Theater Makhtumkuli in Ashgabat.

By tradition, cash bonuses will be handed to women of Turkmenistan on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan.

Uganda

is preparing to join the rest of the UN member states to observe the international women’s day on Monday, March 8.

According to a release from the permanent secretary, Ministry of Labour and social affairs on Monday, Provision of equal opportunities for women is a critical path to prosperity for all in Uganda.

The release says inequalities between women and men, girls and boys in basic rights, resources allocation and utilization, voice and decision making exacerbates poverty and undermine development.

While these inequalities mostly disadvantage women and girls, ultimately they harm every one in society. It is important that measures to promote greater equality between women and men are integral parts of the prosperity for all programme said the release.

However, women with special needs such as women with disabilities, women in hard to reach areas, older women, women living with HIV/AIDS, the unemployed and those living in absolute poverty must be specially targeted in order to enable them escape this economic isolation, said the release.

In Guatemala

Thirteen Threads, a Maya women’s educational program based in Panajachel, is putting on its first International Women’s Day event. Representatives from each of its 22 participating Maya women’s groups will display their weavings and natural products. There will be live music, talks by indigenous women leaders, a mini-workshop on natural dyeing of fibers, free yoga class, a raffle with great prizes, face painting, and lots more fun for the whole family. All proceeds from the raffle will go directly to supporting Thirteen Threads’ educational programs. Come out to celebrate and support women leaders!

Sat., 6th, 10am – 6pm
Centro Commercial “Los Barandales,”
at the bottom of Calle Santander,
Panajachel, Lake Atitlán.

Jusco Kinta City (Malaysia)

will be a hive of activities as plans to celebrate International Women’s Day will be held in the lobby from March 8 to 14. An opening ceremony will see a cheerleading display by the Titans, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony performed by State Executive Councillor Dato’ Hamidah Osman, President of Perak Women for Women (PWW) Dr. Sharifah Halima, and President of Soroptimist International Ipoh (SI Ipoh) Jeya Jeyaratnam. The two NGOs, PWW and Si Ipoh, are the organisers of the event. Dato’ Hamidah will then lead the advocacy activity  by sticking mock figures of both male and female to signify “equality” and “progress for all”, followed by invited guests who will  also add  their signatures. This is to signify support for the United Nations theme this year – EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES.

In Canada

Members of a variety of organizations including Oxfam Canada, Amnesty International, the We Can Coalition, unions and local women’s organizations have teamed up to celebrate International Women’s Day with a rally and conference called “Women’s Voices at the Table.” The “at the table” concept is part of a broadly-based Canadian and global civil society campaign to mobilize women to be heard and to declare our right to be “at the table” with leaders at the G8/20 meetings taking place in Canada this June.

From the White Ribbon Alliance:

“The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is asking people around the world to wear white and hold a dinner party in March for the 100th year of International Women’s Day on the 8th. Please get together with your friends, have some fun and join this global celebration of women and newborns saved and also to remember those lost.

Together women around the world can really show governments and national leaders that we won’t be ignored and that all women in every country deserve access to basic healthcare. We can save so many lives by refusing to be ignored. Please Play Your Part to prevent the needless deaths of women and newborns in childbirth.”

In Los Angeles, CA/US, Mujeres de Maiz will be holding their13 Anniversary Live Art Show: 13 Baktun,

An interdisciplinary, intercultural, intergenerational event honoring International Women’s Day and Women’s Herstory Month with events along First Street in Boyle Heights/East LA.

Click here for a list of blogs participating in the International Women’s Day Blogathon organized by Gender Across Borders.

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 Posted by on March 2, 2010
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