International Women’s Day

By Dr. Rex Casiple

 

In the Bible, the first man and woman were Adam and Eve, the first parents of the whole human race. The first woman’s name is called Eve. This comes from a Hebrew word meaning “life,” and indicates that she was the mother of all the living, that is, of all human beings.

In the present world, a woman or the women are the primary caretakers of children and elders in every country. Studies showed that when the economy and political organization of a society change, women take the lead in helping the family adjust to new realities and challenges.

Former President Maria Corazon C. Aquino is a woman president of the Philippines after the EDSA revolution that toppled former President Ferdinand E. Marcos. President Cory Aquino is a political leader who served as the first woman president of the Philippines, from 1986 to 1992, and who restored the democratic rule in the country after the long dictatorship of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Former President Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo, also known as GMA, is the 14^th president of the Philippines. She was put into power after the EDSA 2 Revolution in January 2001 that peacefully overthrew the government of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada. Furthermore, President Arroyo is the first woman to hold two of the highest offices in the country.

In education, most of the teachers in basic education and in tertiary education are women. Most of the students in both basic and tertiary education are female. In Western Visayas Region, forty five percent (45%) of state colleges and universities presidents or heads are female and forty percent (40%) of local colleges presidents or heads are female. And more than one-third (1/3) of private higher education institutions heads are female.

On March 8, 2021 the whole world was celebrating the International Women’s Day (IWD). The theme of this year’s IWD celebration is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. The theme highlights how women can be equal partners in decision-making processes, especially those regarding policymaking. This year there is a need to bring to light the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women as well as a day of education, empowerment and action. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality or gender equality across the globe. This special day for women began with a labor movement in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. In 1909 the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day.

The first international women’s day gathering was in 1911. It was supported by over a million people worldwide. In 1914 in Germany the observance of International Women’s Day was dedicated to women’s right to vote. Another important demonstration of women’s day in Europe was on March 8, 1917 when the women textile workers in St Petersburg took over the streets demanding  their rights.  This later grew to become the Russian Revolution. The International Women’s Day had been mainly celebrated by communist countries and socialist movements until 1967. Later the United Nations recognized the day and started celebrating it.

The International Women’s Day is an official holiday in at least 20 countries around the world. These include Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, Russia, and Vietnam. Tradition in these countries embraces men to honor their mothers, wives, girlfriends, and colleagues with flowers and small presents. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political. Making International Women’s Day in the Philippines also a holiday or non-working holiday is a challenge to our lawmakers.