Global gender equality campaign joins #MeToo and #TimesUp movements
International Women’s Day is marked every year on March 8, a global gender equality movement that started in the United States in 1909 as “National Woman’s Day.” The theme for 2018 is “Press for Progress,” which joins other notable campaigns such as Me Too and Time’s Up.
Even though Israel is not among dozens of countries across the globe with official events scheduled, this reporter hit the streets of Jerusalem to talk to women about what the day means to them.
“It’s very important, very important, women’s health rights and child birth,” Deborah, a midwife from the United Kingdom, told The Media Line while walking with her son along Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street. “It’s women’s rights everywhere. It’s women’s rights in the workplace, it’s women’s rights in the film industry,” Deborah added, before noting that she is aware of International Women’s Day.
Another female, who declined be named, said she did not know that March 8 is International Women’s Day, but nevertheless described the event as “awesome.”
“Go women! That’s very Kabbalistic,” she said, referring to the Jewish mystical practice. “One of the signs that the world is on the way to complete fixing is that the power of the woman is on the rise.”
There are ways to take action for International Women’s Day, even if there are no events scheduled where you live. For example, you can join the Press for Progress campaign by logging on to the International Women’s Day website at wwww.internationalwomensday.com.
The United Nations is also celebrating International Women’s Day this year with guest speakers at its headquarters in New York City, including Academy Award-winning actress and activist Reese Witherspoon.
Zohar Mayost, who was running errands in downtown Jerusalem said International Women’s Day falls on the same day as her birthday. Asked what it means to her, she told The Media Line that “women need to get their place and their respect.” Mayost will mark the day with friends while thinking about the strong women who have inspired and encouraged her.
To quote former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, the only woman to hold Israel’s top political position: “Trust yourself, create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”