Women’s day should not be celebrated – it should be observed.
While the first Women’s day was observed in 1909 in New York, each country has observed Women’s Day on different days. It was not until 1975, that the United Nations finally observed March 8 as International Women’s Day. While we have made big strides towards the ideal of equal rights for women (which inspired this movement) – we are still far away from celebrating the day when we can say, the goal has been achieved.
Look at the statistics for gender equality in India from a UN report:
Rather than being a day where these scary statistics are shared, mulled over and some action taken to rectify them – it has become a day about capitalising on an opportunity to sell women stuff in pink, cute selfies all over the internet, and a collective tick mark on having done something for women until the next women’s day. So rather than mulling over what you should be doing this women’s day – here are a few things you should not be doing:
We see a surfeit of a few things every women’s day. Here are a few:
None of this does anything to change the stereotypical thinking about women. It does nothing to change the gender equality equation.
If you truly want to do something for women’s day – here are a few ideas:
It has to be about daily behaviours. And the best thing is – you don’t have to do “something special”. Treat women exactly the way you would treat male colleagues. That is the highest form of respect.
Treating female colleagues like you would treat male colleagues doesn’t mean being unmindful of your behaviour. The keyword is
respect.
Avoid talk that is sexist. And call it out if any of your other male colleagues indulge in it too. Stop shaming anyone for the dress or make-up they choose to wear.
Running a workshop session even on women’s day – only for women, ignores the fact that they mostly work in a male dominated workspace. Any engagement that you do must involve men, not just in the activity but also in the deeper conversations about how we can create a more gender-neutral work space.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is not enough to celebrate Women’s day year after year, without working to increase the percentage of women in senior roles. Your audio should match your video – else it will be eventually perceived as a hogwash.
So, how will you observe Women’s day this year?