This year, Women’s Day will be a call on the masses or on oneself to help forge a better working world – a more gender inclusive world, being bold for a change.
The history of Women’s Day is directly tied to this institutional discrimination against women, when in 1908 women began to strike for better wages in New York City, US, and the following year the day was celebrated as Women’s Day.
It was officially ratified by the United Nations in 1977.
Women are still trying to break the glass ceiling, something that prevents them from professional advancement in many cases, which is why this year’s theme is so important. To be bold for change.
Nasrin Sultana broke that barrier back in 1984 by joining the fire fighting services. The Dhaka Tribune asked her about what it is like being the change you want in the world.
“When I am in uniform, I get mistaken for a man but I have never let my gender define my ability to do my job. I love what I do,” she said.
Evidently women law enforcers are known to be less corrupt. Bangladesh has recently introduced women traffic police.
Bus driver Shawon Ali says he is more afraid of women police. “I am very scared of them, they do not take bribes and they will file a case if I break the law.”
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 17% women are working in formal industries and 30.4% are working in the informal industry.
Fulfilling gender equality means the 30.4% of our working women need equity in gender parity and a society that views women as humans first and gender second.
Even though times have changed and women’s mental and physical faculties are no longer questioned based on their gender, the world still have a long way to go before it can achieve gender equality, which is why we need women to push the barriers even more.
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