Honor the Women in Your World—Celebrate International Women’s Day!

Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8 is celebrated globally to honor the vibrant achievements of women—and to draw attention to the inequities that still impact us.

We at Women For One honor and celebrate the many creative, vibrant women of the world: the moms, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, scientists, politicians, and everyday women who are pillars in their communities. The work, both unsung and celebrated, of women everywhere has contributed immeasurable gifts to our cultures and societies.

There is so much beauty in your lives and your stories. Together, we have the capacity to join together to create strong new visions for the future of women…and the world.

Even though women may hold up half the sky, there’s still so much that needs to be done when it comes to promoting and protecting women’s rights globally. And even though so many women in the West may seem to have more obvious freedoms than their sisters in other parts of the world, according to the United Nations, there is nowhere in the world where women can claim to have exactly the same rights and opportunities as men.

The statistics that we are familiar with range from surprising to sobering. For example, the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion “absolute poor” are women. And even now, when women are breaking historical glass ceilings, we still earn between 30 and 40 percent less pay than men for the same work. Even though men and women are currently at or near parity in health and education in different parts of the world, women continue to lag behind men in economic participation and opportunity by 15 to 25 percent in even the most gender-equal societies. In addition, women continue to be the victims of violence, ranging from rape to domestic violence to sex trafficking.

We are so powerful as a gender and yet, we still have so much further to go.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is gender parity. Economically, politically, and socially, many strides have been made—but more progress is necessary if we are to create communities where every life, every story, every contribution is equally honored.

We at Women For One intend to make our voices heard by celebrating International Women’s Day in a number of ways.

Here are some suggestions on how you can also do your part:

• Connect with the women in your tribe and talk about your experiences with gender equality and inequality. Our awareness and ability to take action begin with knowing our stories and being courageous enough to share them with others.
• Donate to a female-focused charity (World Pulse is one of our favs).
• Promote an organization or group that helps raise awareness around the importance of gender parity.
• Pick up a book or watch a movie about your favorite she-ro.
• Social share your support for gender parity.
• Download #PledgeForParity selfie cards.
• Submit your own personal story about triumph and transformation to Women For One.

Make your voice heard and search International Women’s Days events and activities around the world and in your home town.