International Women's Day on March 8th is coming up again. Unfortunately, year after year the demands do not decrease, but rather increase. That's why it's particularly important to be loud, even despite the lockdown, because the internet gives everyone a voice. You can contact your local politicians with your demands via email or draw attention to problems with posts on social media. We'll show you where International Women's Day originates and what's in focus this year.
History of International Women's Day
A direct event did not lead to International Women's Day being celebrated today, March 8th. It began with the workers' and women's movement growing at the end of the 19th century and finally demanding a day on which women all over the world could fight together for equal rights, higher wages, equal working conditions, women's suffrage and against discrimination.
The demand for a designated women's day was first expressed by Clara Zetkin. The socialist feminist proposed this on August 27, 1910 at the Second International Women's Conference in Copenhagen. On March 19, 1911, women in several countries fought for their rights for the first time. After some changes, Women's Day is finally set for March 8th.
The first successes of International Women's Day
Just a few years later, the German demonstrators reached a milestone. In 1918, active and passive women's suffrage was written into law, so that women were allowed to vote in Germany for the first time in 1919. Despite the constant fighting, a large part of the successes were unfortunately trampled on by National Socialism. The “role of mother and wife” is coming back into people’s minds and women’s work is now only seen as an emergency reserve.
After the Second World War, the women's movement entered its second wave. This is urgently needed because, sadly, women's suffrage was only introduced in Switzerland in 1971 and in Liechtenstein in 1984. In addition, women still needed their husband's permission to work until 1969. In addition, marital rape was legal until 1997.
We will now explain which two demands are in the foreground this year:
1. “Women in leadership: for an equal future in a COVID-19 world”
This is the motto that the UN is dedicating to this year's Women's Day. The focus is on gender injustices, which have been deepened by the corona pandemic, as a study by the Hans Böckler Foundation shows.
In many aspects:
a) Burden of gender roles
Due to the closure of schools and daycare centers, many couples are falling back into old gender roles. 27 percent of women and only 16 percent of men have shortened their working hours due to the lack of child care. This can be observed particularly in families from the lower income bracket, as men often cannot do without the higher salary. Women's reduced working hours not only have an acute impact on their income, but will widen the wage gap between men and women in the long term.
b) Women in the health sector
The gender differences in the health sector have been known for years and are now being greatly deepened by the corona pandemic. Because 70 percent of the world's health workers are female. Even though this number is so high, there are still more men in senior positions. So women mainly do the job of nursing, which is paid below ground and doesn't get enough recognition for the work they do. Especially in such an exceptional situation as now, women expose themselves to particular risks and are not provided with enough protective equipment and additional Corona funds.
c) Victims of domestic violence
Surveys on domestic violence during stay-at-home orders show frightening results. 7.5% of women report experiencing violence at home. Even before Corona, there were too few protective measures for women in danger. This means, for example, overcrowded women's shelters and no contact or advice centers. During Corona the situation is unacceptable. Despite the increasing rates of domestic violence, women's shelters are closing, leaving many women homeless or further exposed to violence.
2. Intersectionality: Stand with Muslim women against the headscarf ban in the workplace on International Women's Day
The ban on large religious signs in the workplace has been discussed by the European Court of Justice since 2017. The judge states that this law does not discriminate against religions, as smaller symbols that "cannot be noticed at first glance" are still permitted. This means that religious symbols of Catholic and Protestant origin, such as the necklace with the cross, remain completely legal.
This law is a deprivation of freedom for Muslim women and a clear violation of religious freedom in Germany. This means that Muslim women can be denied a career, while other religions do not face any restrictions.
Until now, in Germany, employers are allowed to ban religious symbols if there is a “sufficiently concrete risk of economic disadvantage”.
We must dedicate this year's Women's Day to the discrimination against women due to Corona measures and the restrictions on self-determination of Muslim women and take active action against it.
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Where International Women's Day comes from and what demands are in the foreground this year
