Happy International Women’s day!
The IWD (international women’s day) is celebrated every March 8th, this day is a celebration of achievements of women all over the world, for their achievements in all aspects of society and civilization, from cultural, political, social or economic sectors.
In some countries, IWD is celebrated as an appreciation such as a mother’s day, while for other countries this is a day which highlights the political and human rights of a women’s struggle around the world.
Coming from a background of strong women, my mother and sister has always been an example of how strong a woman should be. They would always tell me how important it is to speak my mind in a world dominated by men and to live with strength and dignity. I believe to be a strong woman you need to be surrounded by strong women.
The history of Women’s Day
The first celebrated women’s day was on February 28th, 1909 in New York. Two years later, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed that the holiday becomes an annually observed one that would celebrate various women’s issues, such as suffrage, so as to promote equal rights for women.
The first few Women’s Days were celebrated in a quite different fashion than they are nowadays, with hundreds of demonstrations taking place in Europe.
During these demonstrations, women demanded they finally be given both the right to vote and to hold public office. Employment sex discrimination was also an important issue.
Women’s Day in UAE
In the United Arab Emirates, women are given high importance and high regard of respect, they even have their very own Emirati women’s day, celebrated on August 28th.
One of the main features of UAE’s progress and development has been its clear-sightedness about the inclusion of women as nation-builders. The leaders of the country have been unequivocal in their emphasis on shaping their policies with women’s contributions at the core and the UAE Constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women.
5 Top Emirati women influencers!
- Sara Al Madani – Entrepreneur
- Fatema Fardhan – Fashion Designer
- Nayla Al Khaja – Film Director, Writer and Screen Director
- Najla Faisal Al Awadhi – Media Pioneer & former parliament member
- Mona Eisa Al Gurg – Business Woman and Chairwoman of ‘Young Arab Leaders’
5 ways to celebrate Women’s day
1. Celebrate the healthy ‘You’
By going to a health & wellness spa or a yoga retreat, you are claiming how important it is for a woman to take care of her health, and how her wellbeing
can make a positive influence to her family and society.
2. Pamper yourself
Go for a mani and pedi or a little saloon treat for yourself, you are claiming there is no harm in pampering yourself and that you deserve to be pampered, as a woman we always pay attention
more to our family members or others than ourselves, it’s time you prioritize ‘YOU”.
3. Girls night out!
Gather all your girlfriends, and head to any club or hotels, where most women get to party for free with free beverages and enjoy amazing music with loving and fun friends with you! what better way to have fun on woman’s day!
4. Celebrate with family
Prepare dishes or desserts in pink, and explain to your husband and kids about women’s day, talk about the women who made history, teach your sons how important it is to respect women and to always appreciate their hard work
5. Donate to a local women’s shelter
Helping out a local women’s shelter battered shelter, to help remind you that the difficulties women continue to face, as well as doing your part to ease some of that. You could also turn it into an event with friends, colleagues, and family to help you celebrate the day by helping out a local women’s shelter.
What Men can do on women’s day?
1.Treat your special woman (Mom/Wife/Sister or girlfriend)
Take over , and take out the special lady/woman in your life to indulge in some great food with the family, head to her favourite restaurant, or research some new restaurants she has been eyeing to visit, or better yet you and your kids can prepare her a great meal with love, let her sit back and relax where the men can take over the kitchen for a day! 😉 (also make sure you do the cleaning up as well after lol)
2.Tell a woman how much she means to you
This could be your boss, a family member, your significant other. You should tell her why she is important and all the thing she does well. For instance, if it’s your boss, tell her why she’s a great boss and how much you’ve enjoyed working with her.
3. Treat Women with respect
This seems like it should be a super easy one, but to judge by the number of female victims of sexual assault, and simply the day to day struggle of being out of your house while female, this is very obviously not the case.
- Don’t ever tell a woman to “make your sandwich” even as a joke. It’s not funny and simply serves to reinforce the idea that women are only there to cook and take care of men.
- Don’t harass women on public transportation (or in public) about their looks, or whether they are smiling or not.
- DO speak up for women if you see that a woman’s being harassed. If your buddies make rape jokes or sandwich jokes, calmly explain to them why those are not respectful (or, even better, ask them to explain why those jokes are funny and watch as they fall all over themselves to not be misogynistic).
- Remember, act with respect towards women (and everyone, be a decent human being) every single day, not just on March 8.
The main purpose to celebrate this day is to spread awareness and help men understand the importance of a woman in the society.
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