Every year, around this time, a conversation takes place in offices, classrooms, and even friendly get-togethers: “Why do we celebrate women’s day?” And this ends up being an unfinished, never-ending debate.
This question takes us back to the 1900s. It all started with a bunch of women, on the streets of New York, asking for their basic rights -- voting rights, shorter work hours, better pay. International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated first in 1911, which marks this year as the 111th year of celebrating.
With time and place, the meaning of women’s day has changed. The spirit of women’s day is not the same for everyone. When we talk about inclusivity and diversity, it’s not always about acknowledging non-binary individuals. It also means acknowledging that the “reality” is different for different people, depending on their situation.
Women’s day has been a very celebrated occasion in corporate and academic spaces. Social media has also added a new dimension to this celebration. At least this is what I see as a Bangladeshi, twenty-first-century, higher-middle class, working woman. It sometimes disturbs me. The irony is this approach of celebrating women’s day is often an unequal approach. It comes across as “one day of freedom,” “one day of acknowledgment,” and “one day of respect,” which is something I don’t seek for.
As a privileged woman of a developing country, it’s a dilemma for me, whether I agree on celebrating women’s day or not. As a feminist, I view women, men, and non-binary as equals. But the real question is, are we ready for equality?
There are broadly two approaches, in which women’s day is celebrated:
- To celebrate womanhood
- To talk about women’s rights
Celebrating any gender can be viewed as a positive gesture, be it men, women, or non-binaries. During this time of the year, people, social media, television, and advertisements use this day as a marketing policy that fulfills their own motives. The approach is very problematic at times.
Women’s day is often mistaken to be a day on which women should be appreciated for the relentless effort they put into making others’ lives easier. Women are also referred to as superheroes who can manage everything seamlessly. Women are also referred to as deities who have many hands to multi-task. The obsession with women being perfect is the main problem area.
Celebrating a day can not justify the struggle women have to face, just to be the “perfect image.” The focus cannot be on celebrating how good women are at multi-tasking. A woman should not have the burden of working, earning, taking care of the family, being responsible for children’s upbringing, and cooking-cleaning-washing. Unequal workload and gender roles cannot be celebrated. This can be an opportunity to address these matters.
On the other hand, few people take this day as an opportunity to talk about women’s rights and equality. From a privileged, liberal point of view, a person can state, “we don’t need women’s day.” We also hear statements like, “if equality is the goal, why is men's day not celebrated?” To answer these questions, we need to understand equity and equality. Although our goal is to reach equality, the path to equality is through equity.
Women have been treated as second citizens throughout history. Till the level playing ground is established, women need more push to reach places that men already have. Who are these women who need an extra push? Probably all women.
The force of the push can be different. A woman who is living in a first-world country, who is privileged, well educated, and well aware of her rights, has no problems similar to another woman who is living in a remote area of a developing country, is not privileged, is semi or uneducated, and unaware. The first kind of woman will face the glass ceiling and the second kind of woman will face the sticky floor. Different push, encouragement, and advantages will be required for different women.
Women’s day might not be a need for a strong, independent woman but it is needed for a woman who is dependent. The women who don’t have the voice to speak about their rights, the women who don’t know about their rights, the women who are struggling with things we are unable to understand -- for all of them, a day like this is needed. Not to glorify the struggles or gender roles, but to start thinking about peripheries out of our own bubbles.
Women’s equality doesn’t mean equality just for specific women. The equality we are demanding is for women across nations, societies, cultures, races, religions, and socio-economic statuses. Women’s day is a necessity till the day we establish equity. Women’s rights cannot be an issue that is discussed on a specific day only, but till the day being aware of women’s rights is a norm, this day needs to be celebrated.
On the 111th women’s day, the theme is “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” which is something I totally agree with. And to ensure this sustainable future, we cannot leave behind any woman. As an optimistic feminist, I see a world where there won’t be any disparity among genders. In that world, women’s day will be celebrated as any other historic day.
Simin Ibnat Dharitree is an anthropologist, a development worker, and a gender rights activist.
