If men and women are truly treated equally at all levels in society, there would be no need to celebrate an International Women’s Day (IWD), which fell yesterday (March 8). But the stark reality is that in many countries, developed and developing, girls and women face an uphill battle for equality and empowerment.
Women’s and girls’ rights are facing unprecedented growing threats worldwide, from higher levels of discrimination to weaker legal protections, and less funding for programmes and institutions that support and protect women. UN Women’s latest report “Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing”, published ahead of the UN 50th International Women’s Day on March 8, shows that in 2024 nearly a quarter of Governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights. Extreme Right wing Governments in some countries are actively rolling back many protections available to women, including the right to abortion.
Hence, there is a dire need for a day such as IWD to remind the world of the importance of recognising the contribution by women to our societies and stressing the need for their uplift. It is a day to celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements, raise awareness about ongoing gender inequalities and advocate for equal rights and opportunities for women globally.
Theme
Every year, the IWD is celebrated under a different theme. International Women’s Day 2025, observed on March 8, adopted the theme “Accelerate Action,” emphasising the urgency of advancing gender equality. This theme calls for swift, decisive measures to address systemic barriers and biases affecting women in various spheres. It encourages individuals, communities, and organisations to implement effective strategies and amplify efforts that promote women’s advancement. By supporting initiatives that empower women and challenge discrimination, we can collectively accelerate the journey toward a more equitable world.
This is an occasion to challenge stereotypes, fight prejudice and celebrate women’s achievements. IWD’s roots can be traced to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours. The Socialist Party of America declared the first “National Woman’s Day” on February 28, 1909. In 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin proposed an annual International Women’s Day at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen. The first official IWD was celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. By 1975, the United Nations officially recognised March 8 as International Women’s Day.
The year 2025 is important for gender equality. It is the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most advanced blueprint for achieving gender equality in the world. It also marks 15 years since the establishment of UN Women, and the 25th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Much remains to be done in the sphere of women’s empowerment. As the World Bank has found, just six economies give women and men equal legal rights in areas that affect their work. And if current trends continue, it will take 168 years to close the economic gender gap. The rest of the world has a lot of catching up to do indeed.
Local situation
While Sri Lanka has not witnessed any discrimination against women and girls in education and many other spheres, there is still a long way to go in terms of complete gender equality.
For a country that produced the world’s first woman Prime Minister – Sirimavo Bandaranaike – nearly six decades ago, the number of women in politics and positions of power in business and many other fields is abysmally low. At the grassroots level, there is a slight increase in the percentage of women in politics. We hope that all political parties and independent groups will give more nominations to professionally qualified women at the forthcoming Local Government (LG) polls in line with the current demand for ‘quality’ people’s representatives. This is very important as the LG bodies are the cradle of politics and giving women a stronger voice at village level is essential for the success of development and welfare activities.
The Government has championed women’s empowerment, launching many programs for their uplift. From empowering women entrepreneurs wishing to start their own ventures to getting more women into modern agriculture, this programme deserves to be supported by all sections of society.
Moreover, the glass ceiling for women is yet to be broken in several other sectors in Sri Lanka from driving heavy vehicles to many mechanically oriented jobs. This should not be the case, since none of these jobs remains closed to women in many other countries. Women should be encouraged to venture into the more male dominated sectors such as motor mechanism/car repair, heavy vehicle/earth moving equipment operations, welding and air-conditioning. Parents and school/university authorities should also encourage more girls to undertake STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and courses.
Increase in sexual and physical attacks
Sri Lanka does have very impressive health and education statistics when it comes to girls and women, especially compared to the rest of South Asia. However, many other problems have blighted this good track record. There has been an increase in sexual and physical attacks against girls and women in recent years. The perpetrators of such violence are almost always known to the victim – either a relative or guardian, not a total stranger.
This is a black mark on our society and culture and steps should be taken to purge such violence from our midst. Domestic violence against women, most of which goes unreported, is another black spot.
Indeed, this has been the case all over the world. During the past few years, women’s rights have dominated the news, following a global reckoning on sexual misconduct rippling through industries.
When the Time Magazine honoured the “Silence Breakers” as its Person of the Year a few years ago, the world took notice of a rising wave of resistance and protests against the harassment of girls and women. Following the outpouring of allegations against prominent men in power, the “Me Too” Movement gave a voice to women on the abuse and harassment they suffer throughout life. Governments around the world must do more to protect and empower women, whose enormous potential is yet to be realised.
