March 8 – today is the day to celebrate all women and continue to the fight for greater equality.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated immensely across the world, with a new feminist vigor that started off the year with the #MeToo campaign and various other women’s related issues being put into the limelight,  it seems that 2018 International Women’s Day has more energy, vigor and importance than ever before.

Here are just a few ways in which it has been celebrated.

Politically:

Further protests and marches were seen across the world, in Australia indigenous women and girls marched to call for an end to alcohol-fuelled violence. Progress was made as the Australian Council of Trade Unions used three billboards to demand paid domestic violence leave and an end to gender-based violence in the workplace.

In South Korea, many South Koreans wore black and held up ‘Me Too’ signs railed in central Seoul. Furthermore, On March 7th, protesters in Seoul gathered outside the Japanese embassy to highlight the plight of “comfort women,” the 200,000 girls and young women who were forced to work in Japanese brothels before and during the second world war, something that still hasn’t been fully addressed or noted of.

In France, the French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe presented measures to counteract violence against women and promote equality following a consultation which was called ‘Equality Tour De France.’

In Spain a widespread strike occurred, 5 million workers took part in a ‘feminist strike’ which was created to bring attention to the wage gap, sexual discrimination, and domestic violence. Huge crowds emerged on the street and it was supported by some of Spain’s famous female politicians such as Ada Calou and Manuela Carmena.

In the Philippines – hundreds of people protested against Rodrigo Duterte the Philippines’ president who they claim is one of the worst violators of women’s rights in the world.

In Karachi, rallies protested against the ‘honour killings’ which affects predominantly women who have ‘shamed’ their families.

Charitably:

International women’s day has brought attention to the need for women in developing countries to have support and help to overcome issues that they may face. The #messagetomysister enables many women to send messages of solidarity to women who are under siege or in refugee camps and donate to many different women-related charities. This enhances and embraces an even bigger sisterhood.

Richard Herring used his Twitter platform to encourage his followers to donate to a charity that supports women and children who have suffered from domestic abuse.

Spirit of 2012 announced to stage a centenary exhibition in Manchester, the birthplace of the suffragette movement. This exhibition will be called ‘spirited’ and will focus on the young social activists that were at the heart of the first-wave movement for change.

Personally:

Social media users have been able to celebrate international women’s day through posting pictures of women who have personally be inspirational to them, whether this be close relatives or female icons.

Alongside the snapchat filter, social media has enabled many people to express what personally international women’s day means to them.

Personally, in my university seminar, we had a discussion of how we haven’t studied any women writers, the ‘classic texts’ that we have studied are all by men, we placed our opinions on how when learning about history and politics, it’s important to also have the viewpoint of women for inclusiveness.

 

2018 International Women’s Day will definitely be a historic and monumental one both internationally and personally.