First section by Hon. Dr Sharman Stone

Australia will join other nations in celebrating International Women's Day on Monday 8 March.

Dr Sharman Stone, the Shadow Minister for the Status of Women, said Australian women are world beaters in many fields, including public service, science, the arts, business, sport and politics. They work in and out of the home, are paid and unpaid, raise children, care for elderly and disabled family members and donate their time and energy to thousands of causes.

“However, alongside these achievements is a pay gap of about 17 per cent for men and women doing the same or similar work.  Women were granted equal pay 40 years ago in Australia, but this gap is widening, particularly for high earners,” Dr Stone said.

“International Women's Day is the ideal time to start a conversation about this pay gap and the meaning of equal pay for equal work. We must value the work of women whether it is paid or unpaid, inside or out of the home.

“While many women are achieving success in their careers, many face a retirement in poverty after years of part-time work or time out of the workforce have left them with little superannuation or savings.

“As well, Australia remains one of the few developed economies without a statutory requirement to offer paid parental leave.

“While International Women's Day is a time to reflect on gender inequalities and discrimination somewhere else, we need to also acknowledge that women in Australia, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, face a lot of unfinished business if we are to be the land of equal opportunity.”

************************************************************

IWD is now an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.