How to observe International Women’s Day: Do’s and Don’ts

It is March and International Women’s Day is at hand. This means that a lot of Human Resource officials and Events Managers are trying to plan celebrations for their organisations. The typical IWD event these days is a speech-filled programme with a guest of honour—a woman achiever—with some pep-talk and some promises and possibly, gifts for women employees—hopefully useful. Also, common, are the retail ads for sales and Women’s Day discounts, a practice emulated by some restaurants. In the corner, a group of people are cringing. Some cringe because they deplore the commercialism of all observances and festivals. Some cringe because this is not what International Women’s Day was meant to be.

So what was it meant to be? Clara Zetkin, a German Social Democrat, proposed that a day be set aside each year—the same day around the world—for advocacy on issues relating to women. She made this proposal to the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910 and it was greeted with unanimous approval. Observance of the date began in 1911, and until 1913, it was the last Sunday of February. In the first part of the twentieth century, the focus of activism on Women’s Day was working on women’s rights. Organisations and women came together, in solidarity, for the observance. In 1975, during the International Women’s Year, the United Nations observed the day for the first time.

Since the 1990s ,the UN has chosen a theme for each year’s observance, and this year, it is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.” Official and NGO events around the world will draw attention to the gender gap in a variety of fields, and demand parity at every level, in every sphere.

In most International Women’s Day celebrations this year, neither the original intention nor its contemporary format will be evident. A great example has been provided by a media company this year which has decided to recognise 50 influential women, who will be selected—without any irony intended—by a panel of men. The recognition of women’s achievements is fine, but the exclusion of women from the process is precisely what the Day was meant to change, more than one hundred years ago.

So what on earth is one supposed to do, you might be asking, in exasperation?

Let me start with a list of ‘Don’ts’.

DO NOT:

•  Confine your observance to offering a discount or a voucher or a rose; these vouchers and discounts suggest you see women only as shoppers or consumers, not as humans with serious concerns to address.
   
•  Organise a large event which is a one-off with a few awards and a lot of entertainment; it suggests, first, that you look at the date as something to check off your HR calendar, and second, that you think women’s concerns can be assuaged with a little entertainment and food. They would probably prefer a holiday.
   
•  Have an awards ceremony (certainly not an all-male jury) which essentially says, you are an achiever and ‘even men’ recognise you as such. You mean well but it is condescending.
   
• Organise a programme just for your women employees; it reveals that you do not recognise that the status of women is closely linked with everybody’s happiness and welfare. Or do that and organise a shared component as well.

I am also uncomfortable with one day’s charity—be it offering one meal to a women’s shelter or volunteering for one day—especially on an observance date like this. The donor leaves feeling good about themselves (“I did this or that for the poor and underprivileged”) but what is the lasting impact of the act? If it introduces an interest in sustained volunteering or giving, that would be good, but then it requires follow-up and a commitment and these are harder to keep.  

So what CAN you do? Here are some ideas:

•    Can you institute a scholarship in your organisation for women who did not have the chance to complete their education because they needed to support their families? Support distance learning or make it possible for them to attend evening university classes. You could award just one such scholarship a year, and take it through the woman’s years of coursework.
   
•  Would you consider introducing flexible working hours or a childcare facility in your organisation if it is large enough?
   
•  “Equal pay for equal work” is still only a slogan in most places; would your company change that? And perhaps institute child-care or caregiving leave for both men and women? March 8 would be the most auspicious day to announce something like that.
   
•  If your company has a CSR policy, can you identify women’s organisations that might benefit from a payroll deduction option you introduce? Can you identify specific volunteering commitments you can make and keep in the long-term? For instance, an accounting firm could offer its services to help a shelter keep its books. An event management company could commit to using an NGO’s paper and candle products for its event materials. Linking up to offer jobs to women in distress is another option.
   
• If you must have events, can you imagine them in ways that do not involve women as passive members of the audience? Why invite an outside speaker? Why not invite your oldest women employees to reminisce about then and now, and their own work-journeys? Why not set up a mentoring lunch where women at various levels of seniority can sit and talk together? What would the history of your organisation look like if women wrote it?
   

And yes, I am writing as if only corporates observe the date. Schools do too. Could schools organise quizzes around women’s achievements? Could all teaching that week be centred on women’s work, women’s creativity and gender issues—depending on the subject? Even if it is not part of the curriculum, International Women’s Day would be a good day to introduce gender sensitisation for your oldest students.

What can buildings and social clubs do? Could book clubs discuss a significant work by a woman or about women that day? Could card-playing groups find it in their heart to donate winnings to a shelter or a women’s resource centre? Could you invite someone to talk to your Rotary or Lady’s Club group who is not on the list of usual suspects in your town—a grassroots activist, for instance? Look beyond the obvious, seriously look—and you will find. The divisions we imagine—they will not call me, she will not come here—are all in our mind. Those who work in advocacy are in the business of sharing their reality and concerns, and all of us who would like to think we are open-minded, should be in the business of listening. The learning will be mutual. Yes, we have expectations of each other, but we also have the capacity to recognise a sincere invitation when we receive it.

Can you raise funds for a women’s rights organisation? There are service providers; there are development organisations; there are advocacy organisations; there are media organisations, and there are research organisations—you are spoiled for choice because all of them do good work and all of them are under-resourced. Pick the organisation whose work inspires you or whose practices you trust, and maybe your building or your club can raise funds for them without expecting them to pay for the cost of fundraising (yes, that happens!). And if you are a large enough corporate, consider making a commitment to sustained giving—so much every year in this month. Give the NGO the luxury of planning on your gift.

This is what you have to remember about International Women’s Day. It is not a sop to feeble-minded humans to make them think you care about them. It is not a sales promotion opportunity. It is not a day to party, even if it is sometimes a celebration.

International Women’s Day is a day women chose to create an opportunity for coordinated, focused, global advocacy on women’s rights concerns. It’s a working day—and a day whose work has not got done in over one hundred years. This year, as we use the day to push for gender parity, ask yourself about equality in gender relations in your home; about gender parity (or at least diversity) on your Board or in your team; about gender just practices in your classroom; or the countless exclusions we practice in our lives. Open up those questions for debate; facilitate those conversations and enable that change. That is the observance you were always meant to have.

Swarna Rajagopalan is a political scientist by training and the founder of The Prajnya Trust, Chennai.