People are being encouraged to ‘choose to challenge’ as the world marks International Women’s Day 2021.
The ‘choose to challenge’ theme for the day this year encourages everyone to call out gender bias and inequality, and to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements to help create an inclusive world.
As well as taking part in the theme, people are being encouraged to strike the Choose to Challenge pose to show solidarity by holding their hand up high and sharing on social media.
Each year on March 8th since 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) tries to grow calls for accelerating gender parity. Despite significant progress in recent decades in achieving a more equal society, women are often still disadvantaged in many areas and do not have the same opportunities as men.
On International Women’s Day, Wales’ Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt is calling on people to call out gender bias;
“As individuals, we’re responsible for our own thoughts and actions. Today, I’m calling on Wales to choose to respect women’s rights, choose to change our behaviour, and choose to recognise and challenge abusive and discriminatory behaviour in others. We all have a part to play in making equality a reality.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Girls can do anything! They can be doctors, lawyers, astronauts. And yes! They can be presidents. As long as they believe in themselves.”
While the Coronavirus pandemic means that people cannot come together to mark the day in the same ways as usual, many online events are still taking place, from online concerts to conferences and quizzes. A list of events can be found on the International Women’s Day website.
