International Women's Day: Women in the changing world of work

Thailand, 2015. Photo: UN Women/Pornvit Visitoran. | Lebanon, 2015. Photo: UN Women/Joe Saad | Kenya, 2016. Photo: CIAT/Georgina Smith

This week, on 8 March, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. Now, I’m going to confess something: I have never really paid much attention to this annual event. Friends have in the past posted, what I perceived, as vague and fairly vapid dedicatory remarks on Facebook and so I generally thought of it as being a rather wishy-washy excuse to give other women a gender-based pat on the back, in the form of “aren’t we great” and “we are so much stronger than men, yeah!”. I was wrong. In fact, until I started researching this article I didn’t think much of the importance of International Women’s Day, didn’t see this an an occasion to celebrate the progress that we have made, didn’t understand the opportunity to rally together and to campaign for our equality, our empowerment and our human rights. Pretty shameful really, especially given that I’ve worked in international development for a number of years. I knew the stats. I just hadn’t put two and two together.

​A vehicle for change

International Women’s Day has actually been observed, in some guise or another, for more than 100 years. Its roots are firmly embedded in working-classism and socialism, starting with 15,000 women garment workers, including many immigrants, taking to the streets of New York City in 1908 to demand better working conditions and better pay.

In 1910, at the International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen, German socialists Clara Zetkin and Luise Zietz proposed an International Women’s Day. Inspired by the fervour and campaign of women socialists in America, their aim was to promote equal rights, including suffrage. Over 100 women in 17 countries unanimously agreed and the following year, over 1 million people across Europe rallied for the right to vote and to hold public office, as well as to protest against employment sex discrimination.

In 1917, in response to the deaths of more than 2 million soldiers, women in Russia went on strike to demand an end to the war and to Russian food shortages. Their demand for “bread and peace” led to the abdication of the Czar and the provisional government granted women the right to vote.  ​​​

“Give Us Women’s Suffrage. Women’s Day, March 8, 1914. Until now, prejudice and reactionary attitudes have denied full civic rights to women, who as workers, mothers, and citizens wholly fulfil their duty, who must pay their taxes to the state as well as the municipality. Fighting for this natural human right must be the firm, unwavering intention of every woman, every female worker. In this, no pause for rest, no respite is allowed." Five years later, women in the Weimar Republic gained the right to vote.

​Flash forward to 2017

The United Nations celebrated International Women’s Day for the first time in 1975 and in 1996 began the adoption of an annual theme. This year, the theme focuses on “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”. Its aim is to consider how we can accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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​The facts

We are becoming more globalised, more technological and more digital. And yet, women continue to be concentrated in lower-paid, lower-skill work with greater job insecurity, and are under-represented in leadership roles and fields, such as science and technology. 

• Women make only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men for work of equal value. The wage gap is even larger for women with children. 
• ​​Only 4 per cent of CEO positions in Fortune 500 companies are held by women.
• Worldwide, more than two-thirds of people above retirement age without any regular pension are women.
• ​Husbands can legally prevent their wives from working in 18 countries.
• Nearly 60 per cent of domestic workers worldwide have no limitations on their working hours
• Laws against gender discrimination in hiring practices are only in place in 67 countries. 

Achieving gender equality in the world of work is absolutely essential for sustainable development. If women played an identical role in labour markets to that of men, as much as US$28 trillion, or 26
​per cent, could be added to the global annual GDP by 2025. ​

Any job is a woman's job. Ending occupational segregation must be part of the shift. Timor-Leste, 2013. Photo: UN Women/Betsy Davis.

​Think globally. Act locally.

You don’t have to protest in the streets to make a difference. You could volunteer at the New2U Thrift Shop to help survivors of domestic violence. Donate your time or money to Babes, a crisis intervention program to support pregnant teenagers. Help underprivileged women to build confidence, develop skills and gain employment by offering your time to Daughters of Tomorrow. Or, find out about UN Women Singapore Committee and how you can get involved.

Great progress has been made, yes, but there is still so much more to achieve, and the struggle for true equality can only be overcome if we all fight together.  

​Next week on the Expatgiving blog, read about the issues that women and girls face around the world today.

​We want to hear from you
​Tell us which ordinary women you think have done extraordinary things. Whether it be your mum, your favourite author, artist or politician, we want to hear about it in the comments below.

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Author

Emma Nobes