International Women’s Day this year celebrates with a theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. Women’s Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US constitution, granting the right to vote to women. Th amendment was first introduced in 1878. In 1971, the US congress designated August 26th as Women’s Equality Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon issued Proclamation 4147. Which designated August 26th, 1972 as Women’s Rights Day and was the first official proclamation of Women’s Equality Day. Suffrage or the right to vote implies a very important human right especially in the contemporary democratic scenario of the world. Voting is a key political right enjoyed by the people in a democracy. In different societies people had to suffer a great deal for the acquisition of this political right, particularly women in almost every country, women achieved this political right much later than men and that too after prolonged struggle. In India, however, women were granted voting rights along with men under the new constitution upon achieving independence form British colonialism. Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But today gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress. Inequalities faced by girls can begin right at birth and follow them all their lives. In some countries, girls are deprived of access to health care facilities or proper nutrition, leading to a higher mortality rate. As girls move into adolescence, gender disparities widen. Child marriage affects girls far more than boys. Globally, nearly 15 million girls under age 18 are married every year or 37,000 each day. Marrying young also affects girls’ education. About one third of developing countries have not achieved gender parity in primary education. In sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and Western Asia, girls still face barriers to entering both primary and secondary school education. Disadvantages in education translate into the lack of access to skills and limited opportunities in the labour market. Women’s and girls’ empowerment is essential to expand economic growth and promote social development. The full participation of women in labour forces would add percentage points to most national growth rates- double digits in many cases. Regardless of where you live in, gender equality is a fundamental human right. Advancing gender equality is critical to all areas of a healthy society, from reducing poverty to promoting the health, education, protection and the well being of girls and boys. Investing in education programmes for girls and increasing the age at which they marry can return $5 for every dollar spent. Investing in programs improving income generating activities for women can return many dollars in return for the dollars spent.
Edu world considers the role of the women to be a vital importance to the society as well as to the world. As our Indian constitution says, every one irrespective of caste, creed, sex, religion have the freedom to live, express and nominate their leaders. Universal Adult franchise holds this view. Edu world spreads the message that, we must work and spread awareness for the upliftment of every gender. If you are a girl, you can help empower your female classmates to do the same and fight for your right to access sexual and reproductive health services. Education prepares individuals to address the unconscious biases and implicit associations that form an unintended and often an invisible barrier to gender equality. If you are a man, you should work for the same.
