International Women’s Day: Everything you need to know

Every year, the International Women's Day gets tagged with a new theme or campaign and sparks dialogue about important women's issues like gender equality, reproductive rights, and abuse. The IWD 2022 sports the hashtag #BreakTheBias where important issues such as gender discrimination and how women can break free from the prejudices surrounding them, will be the focal point of discussion.

 The theme calls all men and women to be part of a movement where they strike the #BreakTheBias pose and pledge to support the cause behind it. The pledge is to build a gender equal world which is free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination that hinder the progress of women, is inclusive, equitable and diverse, and a safe place where pluralism is celebrated and not opposed.

 It pushes people to collectively break biases in personal thought and action, in communities, workplaces and educational institutions by calling out and challenging stereotypes each time they encounter it and thereby level the playing field for both the genders to coexist and flourish.

 This year, the IWD has set a number of goals in order to work towards their ideal world.

 The first one is to build an inclusive work culture for women so that their contribution is recognised and their careers can take flight. They aim to do this by putting up a comprehensive list of women's career platforms that can help women choose the career of their dreams, by sparking open dialogue about menopause and its impact on women's careers, by putting exceptional women leaders in the spotlight, addressing concerns about fair pay and closing the global gender gap, and a host of other agenda.

 Goals also include showcasing women's art in the form of poetry, music, visual arts, artwork and quotes to the world, bringing to the spotlight women achievers in sports and forging women empowerment globally by putting women achievers in the limelight.

 As the world becomes increasingly tech savvy and tech efficient, IWD will rightly turn its focus to promoting equality for women in the field of technology, starting from YouTube influencers to those working in AI. The IWD agenda also celebrates women who are working to bring about positive change in the world, by working to alleviate world hunger and other such sectors. 

 Finally, the IWD this year seeks to assist women to take charge of their health and their right to make decisions about it. The dialogue is extensive and ranges from issues like body positivity to women's health issues and everything in between. 

 Women are worth their weight in gold and over the years, they have proven to be forces to be reckoned with, in a multitude of sectors ranging from art to science to sports to politics. It is not about breaking barriers anymore, that has already been done. This year, it is all about breaking biases.

By Munira Fidai

Photo: Collected