International Women’s Day reminds us what it takes to secure equal rights in a fast-changing world

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is 'Accelerate Action'. Nick Donaldson / The National

Some women bristle at the idea of celebrating International Women’s Day every March 8. Taken literally, it would mean the other 364 days of the year are days for men. Without a designated “International Men’s Day”, that idea seems to hold on a superficial level.

Moreover, some women would argue spotlighting their achievements on one designated day means they are seen as exceptional just for being women and able to achieve, whereas they would prefer the world was gender-blind and lauded them for who they were regardless of biology. My younger self definitely sat in that camp.

And yet International Women’s Day holds much greater significance. It is a day to be celebrated and, more importantly, used as a moment to reflect on what has been achieved and how to improve societies further.

Giving women greater opportunities is essentially a way to improve society and give it a greater chance at success. With more girls and women educated, societies are more knowledgeable. With more rights protected, societies are fairer. And, of course, for women who are in the workforce, economic independence not only helps them have better lives, but puts economies in better shape.

The economic case for providing women with greater access to finance or employment has long been made. According to the latest figures from the World Bank, closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship could boost global GDP by 20 per cent – to quote just one of numerous data sets that make the same case.

March 8 has become synonymous with the world celebrating women, with extra focus on their various roles in society and particularly in the public sphere. While the roots of women's day lie in the socialist movement over a century ago, it became a day recognised globally as such when the UN celebrated International Women’s Day for the first time 50 years ago, in 1975. Two years later, the UN general assembly adopted a resolution for countries to choose one day a year to observe women’s rights and international peace. Most countries chose March 8 while some, like the UAE, have an additional day to celebrate the women of their own country.

Much has been achieved in the past 50 years, and according to the UN report “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2024”, women hold one in four parliamentary seats around the world – up substantially in the past decade. Moreover, 56 legal reforms have been adopted globally aiming to close the gender gap.

However, there are troubling societal issues that continue to disadvantage women. From domestic violence to limited education rights in certain regions. For example, at the current rate of change it would take 137 years to lift all women and girls out of extreme poverty. While last year witnessed the greatest number of elections globally, three times the number of men were re-elected into office than women elected to office.

Most concerning, according to the UN, one in five girls are married as children. Most recently, Iraq’s Parliament passed a law that takes that country back several decades by re-introducing child marriage after a previous ban. The case of Iraq’s new law is a startling example of how progress can be reversed after decades.

Giving women greater opportunities is essentially a way to improve society and give it a greater chance at success

And so, not only must progress be protected, it must also be accelerated. “Accelerate Action” is the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day. And while the world’s tempo certainly seems to have been accelerated, from the speed of technological change to the quickening information flow, the speed toward gender parity in the public and private spheres remains too slow. According to the World Economic Forum’s "Global Gender Gap Report" for 2024, it will take 134 years to close the gender gap – five more generations, assuming progress continues.

Many debates and discussions have been had on how best to close the gender gap. Can a top-down approach that includes legislation and quotas deliver societal change in the long term? It does, as is evident in countries that have adopted overt measures for that purpose – from ensuring women have seats on boards to seats in parliament.

Intent and design, at an institutional level, are vital to continuing progress towards greater female representation – from the classroom to the boardroom. Benchmarks, like the Sustainable Development Goals, are important for measuring progress – or regression. You measure what you want to improve.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration – a pivotal and rare moment of global consensus adopted by 189 governments to work towards women’s empowerment. In an increasingly polarised world, using this anniversary as reminder of what is achievable with intent and unity would be a good step forward in “accelerating action”.

While UN and government-led initiatives, benchmarks and anniversaries are important, at the heart of achieving rights for women and men is society itself. It is how men and women alike allow for inclusion, particularly at home, that will make the greatest difference. How a mother or father teaches their daughters and sons to treat each other, and what they can aspire to be, plays a central role in how their outlook on life, and particularly towards the role of women, will be.

While it is important to be cognisant of cultural and societal conditions, there can be no complacency or justification for women to be subjugated or ill-treated. That includes how we embrace the idea of championing girls and women. And that is why International Women’s Day is not only worth celebrating but also using as a talking point to tackle the many remaining challenges ahead.

Even if girls and women were to get all their rights secured, International Women’s Day would still be a testament to all those women and men who have fought across centuries to work towards fairness and justice – which is at the heart of calling for gender equality in opportunity and in life.