Can you imagine a single day without the women in your lives? Every home, every heart, every feeling, every moment of happiness or sadness, every life is incomplete without women. Be it in the role of mother, sister, wife or daughter, only women can complete this world!
A famous quote by Brigham Young, “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”
Women are the real architects of society. As woman makes a family, family makes a home and homes make a society. We all know that without education, no development is possible. Here we have forgotten that the very first and best school of a child is his/her mother’s lap. For a good healthy society women play a pivotal role. From behavioral to health education women have their hands in.
Earlier, for many years, women have struggled and fought for their right to vote. In the year 1920 women were granted this right, which meant that the government acknowledged their role as citizens in the society.
Women are the inherent part of our society and cannot be neglected due to their less power and authority. Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capabilities. She has the right to participate in very minutest detail in the activities of man and she has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him. To call women the weaker sex is defamatory; it is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. But if by strength it is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater courage?
Today, all countries in the world have tremendously developed in all fields of life. Women all over the world are working hard to make a difference, to alter their lives and the lives of others as well. Today in India, women are gaining more and more international exposures and acknowledgements from around the world for works in their respective fields. Few of the names are Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the field of Politics, Sunita Williams as Astronaut, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza in sports, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the field of acting and social services, Chanda Kochchar in the field of business. List is limitless.
To celebrate women’s economic, political and social achievements, a day is dedicated to the women of society, known as International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on 8th March every year. International Women’s Day represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality. In some countries like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.
But as someone rightly quoted, ” It is good to celebrate the day. But I think it is not justified to issue only one day to women out of 365 days, because we cannot imagine a world without women even for single day.”
This is the time to uphold women’s achievements, recognize challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality to mobilize all people to do their part; because even in this day and age, women face discrimination and prejudice in society. Even today women is the embodiment of sacrifice, tolerance, silent suffering, humility, faith and knowledge. There are still major obstacles for women: Violences against women in many forms like rapes, murders, kidnapping, trafficking, child marriages, domestic violences etc. are still a pandemic; too few women are in leadership roles and most workplaces don’t make enough accommodations for working mothers.
Margaret Sanger said “Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.”
Therefore, to mark the achievements of women across the world, International Women’s Day is celebrated. It is a day when women are recognized without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.