At Interlate, we are committed to this and this is what IWD means to Nishara:
“International Women’s day came out of the Socialist women’s movement and used to be called International Working Women’s day, to draw awareness to Women workers’ rights within the framework of workers’ rights more broadly. Progress has been made in so many areas, and of course, there is cause for celebration. However, we have turned March 8th into a marketing tool with phrases that carry no meaning and no challenge to action.
We have stopped talking about:
- The history of International Working Women’s day and the sacrifices that were made in the protest movement
- The structural barriers that exist around women succeeding within community (as opposed to succeeding individually)
- The devaluing of women’s work in general – low-paid women’s work, unseen/exploited women’s work, the work of mothering and caring for the elderly and how we tend to only look upon women’s work through the lens of capitalism (i.e. how much the economy benefits from women’s work)
This International Women’s Day let’s call out the changes that are yet to be made. Let’s strive to be better managers and team members, who actively look for better ways to hire, mentor and volunteer in the circles of influence we inhabit.
Let’s take to time to learn about the struggles of those we don’t often come across.
Let’s use International Women’s Day for raising the issues we need to face in women’s oppression in all its various forms around the world.”
Nishara Lyons
Visulation Architect, Interlate