Written by Kelsey Rideout
Upon finishing a hot yoga class, filled with women of all ages, I overheard a conversation in the change room. With endorphins running high, one woman enthusiastically shouted, “Happy International Women’s Day!” Excitement started to spread as smiles and kind words were exchanged. For many individuals, however, this annual event is met with the same confusion and ambiguity that circulated last month during the newly established annual holiday, National Family Day. In effect, one woman looked puzzled, and asked what International Women’s Day was all about.
Without hesitation, it was quickly explained that the day is meant to celebrate being a woman, and celebrate the lives of all women. Aligned with the widespread critiques that note the futility in celebrating love for that special someone on Valentine’s Day for just 24 hours of a single year, the question was quickly raised, “Well, shouldn’t everyday be women’s day?”
Considering that International Women’s Day is only a national holiday in 15 countries, all being in Western Europe and North America, it may seem not be surprising that some women remain unaware of the annual Mar. 8 event. However, such ignorance is also somewhat baffling, as the annual event has been celebrated in Canada for decades. In fact, the day has a deeply rooted history, stretching back 100 years to when Clara Zetkin of the Social Democractic Party of Germany launched the idea in 1910 at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark.
While the international event does aim to celebrate the achievements and lives of women, it also operates as a vehicle to demand that the pursuit to attain gender equality be coupled with supportive political decisions.
Beginning in 1911, International Women’s Day has continued to exert an awareness regarding injustices facing women across the world, while publicly demanding that oppressive conditions against women be challenged and reversed. Global protests and marches channel international attention towards major issues facing women, including the higher burden of poverty on women, the impact of war on the lives of women, the implementation of sexist and discriminatory laws, and the exorbitant rates of pregnancy-related deaths in areas of the developing world.
In Canada, 59 national events took place across libraries, museums and galleries on Mar. 8, centering on issues such as violence against women, the experiences of women belonging to visible minorities in Canada, and the artistic contributions of women. Many university campuses also took part in celebrating International Women’s Day.
On the University of Guelph Campus, Oxfam held an event to explore women’s experiences and suffering in Haiti. Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis held an event featuring two remarkable women, Lia Grimanis, founder of the women’s rights organization, Up With Women, and Briar Rose, who was born in a women’s shelter, and at the age of 10 became the youngest finalist for Canada’s top 20 under 20.
The multitude of tribulations confronting women in Guelph, Canada and abroad appears to have necessitated an internationally recognized day of unified action, advocacy and protest on behalf of women’s rights everywhere.
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