GET A HISTORY OF 100 ANNIVESARY WOMEN"S DAY

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS: 1911-2011
DECENT WORK, DECENT LIVES: 100 YEARS OF HERSTORY
CONCEPT NOTE
Synopsis
The 8 March 2011 will mark 100th anniversary
International Women’s Day (IWD). The 2011
United Nations (UN) theme for IWD is “Equal
access to education, training and science and
technology: Pathway to decent work for women”.
Gender Links’ (GL) theme for the 8 March 2011 is
“Decent work, Decent lives: 100 years of herstory”.
The lack of recognition of women’s work leads to
lack of public investment in the areas where
women are concentrated such as the informal
sector, rural subsistence production, domestic
“reproductive work or the care economy and
voluntary community work. This scenario calls for
the review, amendment and enactment of laws
and policies that ensure women and men have
equal access to wage employment and for the
recognition of women’s unpaid work.
Linking to the UN theme, on the 8 March, GL will
be hosting an exhibition and seminar profiling women from the informal sector and women
providing care to those affected and infected by HIV and AIDS. The work of women in both
these sectors is often unrecognised and therefore operates outside the mainstream of the
economy. Informal traders and care givers will share their stories.
GL has been working with women traders from the Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic
Transformation (ESSET) over the last six months. The women traders have been doing a
gender and media literacy course. They will graduate during the seminar and show case
their projects.
Keeping with the gender and media theme GL will launch the ninth edition of the Gender
and Media Diversity Journal, Gender Media Diversity and Change: Taking stock.
The seminar and exhibition will take place at the Women’s Jail Lekgotla and Atrium at
Constitution Hill on the 8 March 2011 from 09h00 to 15h00. Teas and lunch will be served.
GL invites all organisations interested in exhibiting their work and products to contact
Saeanna Chingamuka on gmdcmanager@genderlinks.org.za or call 011 622 2877.
2
Background
In 1910, an International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen and Clara
Zetkin, leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany mooted
the idea of an International Women's Day. The day would be celebrated every year in every
country and would be used to lobby and advocate around women’s issues. Over 100 women
from 17 countries unanimously agreed to Zetkins idea.
The United Nations will be holding an annual IWD conference to coordinate international
efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes.
Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed “IWD
annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and
while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that
women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life”
(www.internationalwomensday.org).
The global theme “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway
to decent work for women” emphasises the need for women to have equal access to
education and particularly science and technology. “Many countries have reached gender
parity in primary education, but the gender gap continues to widen in higher education,
largely because of teenage pregnancy, HIV and AIDS related care work, economic
constraints and deeply entrenched gender stereotypes that discourage girls’ education.”
(SADC Gender Protocol Barometer, 2010, GL)
In Southern Africa, traditional economic perspectives are very narrow and often gender
blind. They do not recognise that “women’s potential contribution to economic development
is systematically discouraged, adversely affecting the economic health of the region” (SADC
Gender Protocol Barometer, 2010, Gender GL). There is an informal and hidden economy
made up mostly of women; there is unpaid care economy in which women do most of the
work of maintaining the labour force and keeping the social fabric in good order.
Objectives
• To create a space for participatory discussion and debate on the economic
empowerment of women and recognition of women’s unpaid work.
• To showcase the work that has been done by individuals and organisations to
promote gender quality.
Outputs
• Participants list
• Exhibitions by different organisations
• Number of organisations that participate in the event
• A report on IWD celebrations
• Opinion and commentary pieces on IWD
Outcomes
• Vibrant discussions on economic empowerment of women
• Women who are able to critically engage with the media
• Sharing knowledge resources that can enhance the fight for equality in the region
Potential partners
• Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation (ESSET)
• Sangonet