International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women.
This year, the theme is Break the Bias, where we strive to live in a world that’s free of bias or stereotypes.
But have you ever wondered how it all started? Let's look at some key facts of IWD, in conjunction with International Women's Day 2022 today.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It all started in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York demanding shorter working hours, higher pay, and the opportunity to vote. After a year of the incident, Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and advocate for women’s rights suggested creating IWD.
The first ever IWD celebration was held in 1911 at Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the year 2022, we are celebrating 111th year of IWD.
But it was only in 1977 when IWD was officially recognized the United Nations.
WHY DO WE CELERBATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY?
Besides commemorating women’s achievements, IWD also focuses on the fight for gender equality, to spread the message of inclusivity.
WHAT ARE THE THEME COLOURS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY?
Few colors always shine on IWD; such as purple, green and white. Basically, these colors came from the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in UK and they have specific meanings; where purple means justice and dignity, green shows hope and white represents purity.
IS THERE AN INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY?
Yes, and it happens on Nov 19, to recognise men’s well-being and their contribution to the household and society.
HOW INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IS CELERBATED IN MALAYSIA
Many events were organised in the lead up to IWD.
Let’s look at how Malaysian’s celebrated IWD 2022.
Today, Sinar Daily launches a new show called Relatable, where it focuses on stories about women. The first episode put a spotlight on female representation in politics and it will be available on the Sinar Daily website as well as social media platforms.
Another event is an exhibition by Pace X We are Filamen which adopts the theme #BreaktheBias. It showcases the works of eight female artists that was inspired by a vision of a world free of prejudice, bigotry, and stereotypes. The exhibition was organised from Feb 22, and today marks the event's last day at Digital Art Gallery, Kedai KL, Mahsa Avenue, Kuala Lumpur.
Whoever loves outdoor activities must give a try to the virtual half marathon organized by runstar and Jomrun to celebrate IWD in a health-conscious way. People who are interested may explore on JomRun app.
Besides that, 3R Media held the ReFest: #BreakTheBias last weekend in honour of IWD, which is a women-led bazaar that featured an array of programmes such as performances, exhibitions, talks and more.