Context: 

March 8, was marked worldwide as International Women’s Day (IWD). This is the 109th year of the celebration of the event.

Theme: The IWD 2020 campaign theme is “#EachforEqual”. The United Nations theme for the same is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”.

Purpose behind celebrating IWD:

The official IWD website describes the event as 

• A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
• The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

History of International Women’s Day :-

• The origins of the IWD are rooted in the labour movement. 
• In 1908, 15,000 women protested in New York City demanding better working conditions and voting rights. 
• A year later, the Socialist Party of America passed a declaration, and the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. The NWD was celebrated on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
• At the second International Conference of Working Women held in 1910, the German Marxist and women’s rights activist Clara Zetkin proposed the celebration of February 28 as Women’s Day in every country.
• The conference, which consisted of unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs and female legislators, unanimously approved the suggestion – thus resulting in International Women’s Day being honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland in 1911.
• In 1913, the date for IWD was shifted to March 8, and it remains as the official date to this day.

Impact :-

In the coming years, the IWD served as a rallying point for many movements. 

• In 1914, women across Europe held marches against World War I (1914-1918).
• In the same year, female activists in the UK led demonstrations demanding voting rights on this day. 
• In 1917, in response to the death of over 20 lakh soldiers in the War, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace”. 
• The strike led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. The provisional government established in Russia granted women the right to vote. 

Status of women in India :- 

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have held high offices including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition.

However, women in India continue to face atrocities such as rape, acid throwing, dowry killings, and the forced prostitution of young girls. Traditions such as Sati, Jauhar, and Devadasi among some communities have been banned and are largely defunct in modern India. However, some instances of these practices are still found in remote parts of India. Child marriage remains common in rural areas, although it is illegal under current Indian law. The condition of women in India has always been a matter of grave concern.

Since the past several centuries, the women of India were never given equal status and opportunities as compared to that of their male counterparts. The patriarchal nature of Indian society, which even though gives respect to women as they are our mothers and sisters, has greatly hampered both the independence as well as the safety of women. Women in India continue to face violence from womb to the tomb. While in womb they face the ever looming threat of feticide and after birth, they are subject to various forms of violence and harassment at different points of their lives, at the hands of different actors, ranging from their parents to their husbands to the members of general public to their employers.

This state of affairs exists even when the Constitution of India guarantees to all Indian women equality (Article 14), no discrimination by the State (Article 15(1)), equality of opportunity (Article 16), and equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d)). In addition, it allows special provisions to be made by the State in favor of women and children (Article 15(3)), renounces practices derogatory to the dignity of women (Article 51(A) (e)), and also allows for provisions to be made by the State for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief (Article 42).

Despite all these constitutional and legal measures there is lot of atrocities and injustices prevailing in India. It is an irony that, a country where religious and cultural traditions keep women in high esteem, and women are worshiped in the form of many deities, atrocities against them are on the rise. According to 1992-93 figures, only 9.2% of the households in India were headed by females. However, approximately 35% of the households below the poverty line were found to be headed by females.