‘Happy International Women’s Day 2014’

Equality for women is progress for all – Equality must begin at home.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time to reflect on progress made, to notice the significant changes and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality. Looking at the past, analysing the present and expecting the bright future about women’s progressive development in all sphere of life; the nature of IWD has, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

This year’s IWD theme, “Equality for women is progress for all”  emphasises on how gender equality, empowerment of women, women’s full enjoyment of human rights, including reproductive rights and the eradication of poverty are essential to economic and social development. 

When we talk of equality for women, the perfect place of its implementation must be in individual homes first i.e., it should begin at each one of the dwelling. The good practices developed at micro level, i.e., at homes, will spread and percolates at community level. This empowers young women to play their full role in society and build stronger families, communities and democracies. 

The important persons who can wholeheartedly shoulder this responsibility would be Parents, Brothers, In-laws, Husbands, etc. The brothers/husbands have to broaden their horizon to accommodate the sisters/wives as equal members of the respective family. The considerable positive changes have trickled in, however, the greater visibility will prevail, if we act decisively, with the knowledge that empowering women and girls and supporting their full participation can help solve the greatest challenges such as poverty, inequality, violence against women and girls, and insecurity will be addressed substantially. The parents, especially the mothers have to be positive about their daughter’s well being, equal to their sons. In fact, the disparity still exists in our homes, among sons and daughters. The parents have a greater say in the development of their son’s future rather than daughter’s, barring few exceptions. This sets in the inferiority complex among the girls, as teens, not exploring the potential to the fullest extent at appropriate level. 

The disparity, which begins, at home, must be stopped forthright, for shaping the society, wherein, the equality for all will flourish automatically. The present scenario might have narrowed the gap of disparity between men and women in many aspects, however, many more areas, the disparity still exist, like women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men. 

Women constitute half the world's population, the road ahead for them to change their thinking of born a girl is not the start of a life of hardship and disadvantage but it will be safe, secured, empowered economically and in every way through education, equal opportunity, participation and leadership. "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights" Gloria Steinem. Together we must make it happen.