INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2018

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. On this day, people celebrate “womanhood” commemorating the inspiring role of a woman in our life. An event which started with a political flavour to secure the rights of women has evolved over the years and is now a celebration of women’s struggle and fight for independence and liberalisation. Each country celebrates the day with a touch of ‘culture’ to express their love and honour for the role of women in people’s lives.

The history of Women’s Day is steeped into antiquity which dates back to 1909 when the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28. The Socialist Party of America celebrated this day in honour of the garment workers’ strike in 1908 in New York where women picketed and marched, demanding improved working conditions and equal rights.

In Indonesia, Raden Ajeng Kartini started the activism of women’s emancipation. During those times, women were not allowed to study and were isolated at home. Women were discriminated for their social status back then. Moreover, women were disallowed to set their own spouses and so on. Kartini, who felt that she had no choice at all because she was born as a woman, was always treated differently with her brother and her male friends, and she envy the freedom of Dutch women, eventually cultivating desire and determination in her heart to change those bad habits.

From that moment on, she was willing and determined to promote Indonesia. Soon, she started establishing a school for girls in her birthplace, Jepara. In this school, girls are taught sewing, embroidery, cooking lessons and so on. The students were not charged any amount of money to attend this school.

Now, women have the same rights to obtain a proper education which is the essence of Kartini’s struggles. Achieving a high education makes women to be able to have a good profession in their field. Equality of education also applies from basic education to college. The law also guarantees women's freedom so that those who treat women unworthily may be subject to punishment. This is very different from the olden days where women were more oppressed and underestimated.

Moreover, women are now able to make choices of their own without any pressures. They have vision and mission. They stopped serving as equal to slaves but they come as leaders now. They are no longer swallowed in the shadows of men but they voice out their point of view. Nevertheless, women are an important asset in our society. For example, women back then can only cook at home but nowadays, women can be chefs and build their own bakery or restaurant. Women like Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher are also examples that women can be leaders.

Author : Michella Eleanor
Editor : Josephine Andrea