International women's day is celebrated on the 8th of March all around the world, a tradition started in Soviet Russia as the soviet women gained suffrage in 1917. In some places, it is a public holiday, in some places, it is not; in some places, it is used as a day of protest and in some places, a day of celebration. Overall, it is a global celebration of women, their struggles and their contributions to the world.
This year's UN theme for International Women's day is 'Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,' in the light of how female heads of state like Jacinda Ardern have responded to the pandemic in a way that should be inspiring for the rest of the world, proving that women are not fundamentally incompetent and in fact even serve as better leaders than men in many circumstances.
Women's day everywhere should not serve as a day to simply contribute to appreciative gestures to women in men's lives as the function they serve in their lives, but a day spent to also commemorate the struggles women have faced in establishing their human rights and how there is a long way to go before they achieve it. In this day and age, wherein brands have co-opted feminist messaging and boiled feminism down to taglines and discounts, it is important to realize how we need more women in leadership positions and important roles so our polity is not androcentric.
Today, we should celebrate women and their struggles and materially contribute to their liberation from their patriarchy. Women are an important element of any society, their oppression being a blemish on the world, their continual strength a source of energy for the world and justice. And that deserves to be commemorated every single day of the year.
