International Women's Day: A Reminder and an Inspiration

Author: Anjali Satish

International Women’s Day. It’s a day where all people - regardless of sexual orientation or race - can stand together in unity and protest women's inequality across the globe. It is a day to pay homage to the strong women in our lives as well as the women who have shaped our world. Across the globe, women continue to fight for economic and social equality, whether in the workplace or in their daily lives, and International Women’s Day is a reminder that equal opportunity is not just a guideline on the blueprint for a more equal and equitable future, but it is a basic human right.

I interviewed Anika Kapoor, an undergraduate freshman and prospective Econ major and Comp Sci minor, who hopes to get a career in consulting. When asked what she thought of IWD, she clarified that she believes “International Women’s Day means not only recognizing how women should have equal access to the same opportunities that men have, but recognizing the unique perspectives and talents that women bring from of course the unique experiences and obstacles that they’ve had to face in life, and learning to respect these experiences they’ve had and value what they can bring to certain fields and certain projects.”

This is certainly true. To this day, in the United States only 39% of consultants are women, and less than 5% of tech industry leaders are women.

A harsh reality, which begs the question that feminists have been asking for decades: why are there so few women in business, when studies show that women are assets to the workplace, as they are more effective multitaskers and actually bring unique skill sets to the workforce? But despite the discouraging statistics, students like Anika use International Women’s Day as a reminder to follow in the footsteps of women who have pioneered in their industries and paved the way for many women to come.

In my journey to seek out more opinions on IWD, I also interviewed Professor Karen Edwards, a Discrete Math professor at Tufts University, who explained to me that International Women’s Day is a day to remember how much we have as women living in the US. She recalled that, “WHEN reminds [her] of when the Taliban took over Afghanistan and [it reminded her of] all the images of women who weren’t allowed to learn anymore, that’s even just regular education, not even higher education.” She added that, “in America it is still a struggle for women, but it is a given that women have the right to go to college. There is a way in which we are pretty lucky in this country.” Women, especially in developing nations, face severe discrimination, violence, and sexism on a daily basis, and it is important to acknowledge the privilege we have living in the US.

A similar sentiment is also shared by freshman Arcadia Ohnemus, who is interested in environmental sciences. She reflected that, “This day brings [her] ever-present pride for being a woman to the forefront of [her] mind, and seeing many women around the world fighting for equality and against gender-based violence is empowering”. International Women’s Day is about celebrating the pride of being a woman for Arcadia, and recognizing that those who fight quietly in the shadows should get to have a voice as loud as those who shout for justice. Additionally, she also expressed to me that she believes IWD is a day for, “creating an intentional time to celebrate all women, those who have reached incredible achievements and those whose incredible-ness is more subtle but who are just as mighty”.

Finally, I interviewed Trisha Musall, Director of Website and Blog for WHEN, who views IWD as a passing of the baton in a movement that has been courageously battling on the forefront of human rights for centuries. She says “for me, IWD means building upon the legacies of women before me — women that were intersectional activists in the modern sense of the word. That is, people who worked for a better future, not just for white, cisgender, heterosexual women. It’s a day of remembering all they’ve accomplished as well as recognizing how much work there is left to do, and reveling in the fact that we’re part of a movement that runs across generations — a movement that I hope will continue to progress until we have achieved liberation for all of those who identify as a woman, in one way or another.”

It’s clear that the global fight for women's equality is far from over. But movements like International Women’s Day spark conversation, awareness, and bring not just women but all people together to celebrate the courage it takes to face the patriarchy and follow one's dreams even when there are systems in place to prevent one from doing so. I think we could even take International Women's Day a step further and take time to thank the women and people in our lives who have supported and nurtured us when the odds were not in our favor and when we felt like giving up. We should especially make sure to thank the women in our families whom we may sometimes take for granted, and who loved us into the world.

As Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai advocates, “We cannot succeed if half of us are held back”. Keep fighting, reflecting, and conversing, and let’s work toward a future that includes opportunities for every person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender! - Happy International Women’s Day!