International Women's Day: Equal pay? Wait 100 years or become a man

 

To protest against unequal pay, Annelie Nordström, President of Sweden’s largest trade union Kommunal, temporarily became a man 

To celebrate International Women’s Day today, I wanted to look at positive examples of gender equality, so I looked at Scandinavian countries – and Sweden in particular, which is considered one of the most equal countries in the world.

I was surprised to find out that even there, the gap between men's and women’s salaries has hardly changed at all for the past thirty years. At the current pace, it will take more than a century to reach equal pay. 

To protest against this, Annelie Nordström, President of Sweden’s largest trade union Kommunal, temporarily became a man.  She wanted to highlight the absurd fact that the easiest way for a woman to get a raise is to become a man.  She is asking women across the globe to join her in the campaign Be a Man. The international initiative aims to become the world’s largest protest against unequal pay, starting today, on The International Women’s Day (March 8^th).



You can watch a video of her transformation here.

When it comes to wages, Sweden is among the world’s most equal countries. According to The Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum, the country is placed fourth, globally.  However, Swedish women earn only 82 % of what the nation’s men do.  Measured in time, men only need to work until 3:52 PM, whilst a woman has to work until 5 PM to earn the same amount. At the current pace, it will take more than a century before men and women earn the same amount of money for the same work.

 ”It’s sad that Sweden is considered to be a global example of equal pay, given how far we have left to go,” says Nordström.

 

And if that is the situation in equal Sweden, how much further women in less equal countries will have to go…
 

By using either a smartphone app or visiting the Be a Man website,  women from around the globe can create a male version of any photo of themselves. The image is then shared in social media on The International Women’s Day, creating the largest protest against inequality ever.


Come on, have a go!

International Women’s Day – stop violence against women

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, celebrated all over the world today (8 March) is: “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.”

Commemorations under way across th world are focusing on ending violence against women, which affects up to 7 in 10 women. It occurs in multiple forms in all countries and settings. It impacts women and their communities, hampering development, and also costing countries billions of dollars annually in healthcare costs and lost productivity.

UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet stresses that discrimination and violence against women and girls have no place in the 21st century. “Enough is enough”, she says in a message of both outrage and hope that discrimination and violence must end.

To celebrate International Women's Day, the UN is launching its first ever song “One Woman” - a rallying cry to inspires listeners to join the drive for women's rights and gender equality. This musical celebration of women worldwide features 25 artists from across the globe. It reminds us that together, we can overcome violence and discrimination: "We Shall Shine!" 

And now a bit of history:

The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March during International Women’s Year 1975. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas.

Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

Join Women on the Bridge - International Women's Day

Only a few days until International Women’s Day on Thursday 8^th March…  And how better to celebrate that bright day than by joining thousands of women standing for peace and equality on bridges all over the world?

Last year, I joined hundreds of women (and men and children) over the Millennium Bridge in London and loved it. We were all together, marching, chanting, waving banners, and it was heartwarming and fun. But the best part was knowing that all over the world, women and men were meeting on bridges just like us - some braving danger to do so, like women in Afghanistan and Iraq.  All of us across continents, standing for peace, standing  in solidarity with women survivors of war. 

The Join me on the Bridge campaign, organized by Women for Women International, is now in its third year. It started as a gathering of Rwandan and Congolese women on the bridge connecting their two countries, but soon sparked a huge global movement. Join me on the Bridge is now the biggest women's rights campaign in the world! Last year, over 75,000 people joined together on 464 bridges in 70 countries. 

 "This is a simple action of solidarity, which gives us faith and hope...bridges blur borders, and without borders we are all one," says Vanessa Arelle, who last year managed to gather more than 30 women on the bridge in the notoriously dangerous Ciudad Juarez in North Mexico.

 To find a list of events near you, click here. You can also organize your own Join me on the Bridge event (there is help on the website). 

In London, the march starts at 10:30am on the south side of the Millennium Bridge with face painting and banner making, and will culminate at 12:30pm with speeches, stalls and entertainment at the Royal Festival Hall. For more information, click here. 

Join me there!

Reem Kelani live from Cairo

Reem Kelani in Tahrir square

Among the many events and programmes planned to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8^th), I would like to mention my friend Palestinian singer Reem Kelani, who will participate live from Cairo in a BBC Radio Scotland’s special programme to mark this big anniversary.

Tomorrow at 8.05pm, Mary Ann Kennedy presents an extra special edition of the show live from Studio One at BBC Scotland's headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal talks about his work with Women of the World, Palestinian singer Reem Kelani speaks live from Cairo about the role women and music played in the recent Tahrir Square demonstrations, and, from Scotland/England, the fantastic all-female band, The Shee, with their heady blend of folk, Scots, Gaelic and bluegrass, are live in concert.

A fantastic line-up, so tune in.