At a time when women’s voices are rising around the world, International Women’s Day will be commemorated globally today (8th March) through a rich diversity of initiatives, celebrating women’s achievements, opportunities and potential, while reflecting on this year’s theme of “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.”
Technological advances, mobility of labour, the green economy and globalization can bring unprecedented possibilities for women if they have access to relevant education and training. On the other hand, an increasing number of women are stuck in the low-paid informal economy with no social protection. Women and girls also still carry an enormous unpaid care burden and face other barriers, such as unequal pay, and lack of paid parental leave and flexible work arrangements, which significantly impact their participation and contribution to the global economy. The statistics are staggering: only about 50 per cent of working age women compared to 76 per cent of men are represented in the labour force globally today, and women take on 2.5 times more unpaid work than men. The global gender pay gap is 23 percent.
Image: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director
“We want to construct a different world of work for women. As they grow up, girls must be exposed to a broad range of careers, and encouraged to make choices that lead beyond the traditional service and care options to jobs in industry, art, public service, modern agriculture and science,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director in her message for the Day. “In roles where women are already over-represented but poorly paid, and with little or no social protection, we must make those industries work better for women. For example, a robust care economy that responds to the needs of women and gainfully employs them; equal terms and conditions for women’s paid work and unpaid work; and support for women entrepreneurs, including their access to finance and markets,” she reiterated.
Along with a wide range of events across the globe, in New York the commemoration of the Day will include a special event at the United Nations Headquarters, bringing together activists, celebrities, business industry leaders, UN senior officials and Member States. The internationally famous actress Anne Hathaway will participate in the event; she will deliver a keynote address in her first public appearance as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, with a focus on unpaid care work and paid parental leave. A panel discussion featuring prominent speakers from governments, the UN, activists and private sector representatives will follow.
Image: Anne Hathaway (left) joins Emma Watson (top right) and Nicole Kidman (bottom right) as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
Marking International Women’s Day globally, a broad range of dynamic events will be organized by UN Women, ranging from film festivals, panels, solidarity marches, seminars and press conferences to arts, sports and academic activities. In more than 50 countries, from Thailand to Rwanda, Belgium, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Ecuador, UN Women will partner with governments, universities, civil society, youth organizations and other UN agencies to organize high-profile events.
In association with UN Women, Snapchat, the popular mobile story-telling app, will feature women from all walks of life in a popular format called ‘Live Story’, which will be shared with the Snapchat audience on 8 March. Users who watch the story in their app will have the chance to contribute their own Snaps, telling their stories of empowerment. Twitter has associated a special emoji with the hashtag #WomensDay.
The UAE will also join the global community in celebrating International Women’s Day today. The UAE’s leadership has an aim to raise the country’s ranking to one of the top 25 countries in the world for gender equality by the year 2021 through women’s empowerment initiatives. Recent data compiled by the Arab Women Organisation found that women account for 66 percent of the UAE’s public-sector workforce, and 30 percent are in decision-making roles, while women aged 15 years and above constitute 46.6 per cent of UAE’s labour force.
The UAE has eight women ministers, making it one of the highest rates of ministerial representation in the region. Women also occupy about 75 per cent of positions in education and health sectors, and their representation in the Federal National Council stands at 20 per cent. The UAE also ranks first among 132 countries in the ‘women treated with respect’ indicator in the Social Progress Index 2015 report.
