Meet at 5pm – Wednesday March 8
Tarntanyangga (Victoria Square)

March 8 – International (working) Women’s Day

The theme for this year is ‘EMBRACE EQUITY’

This day was first born out of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

Australia’s first International Women’s Day was held in 1928 in Sydney. Organised by the Militant Women’s Movement, women called for equal pay for equal work, an 8 hour working day for shop girls and paid leave.

On Wednesday March 8, women from all walks of life will be marching through the city to celebrate achievements in gender equity but also to remind everyone there is still more that needs to change.

Breakfasts are nice but why do we still need to march?

Because there is still change needed when it comes to gender equity.

• The national gender pay gap stubbornly sits at 14.1% – its higher for First Nations women
• Women’s super-balances are 23.1% less than men as they approach retirement age
• Older women are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness and women over 60 are the lowest earning of all demographic groups nationally.
• Gender based violence costs Australia $26 billion a year
• Gendered financial abuse is estimated to cost $10.9 billion a year – with $5.7 billion of that cost borne directly by victims
• Sexual harassment costs $3.8 billion a year

The Harvester Oration: The urgent case for gender equality in Australia | Ministers Media Centre (pmc.gov.au)

Can men march in solidarity? Definitely!

Male allyship, especially when men are prepared to use their privilege to support gender equality, is a welcome amplification of women’s voices.

Feminism isn’t just about improving the lives of women, it’s about dismantling  ALL damaging gender stereotypes and the systems that disadvantage anyone who identifies as female.
Achieving gender equality is as important for men as it is for women.

We look forward to IEU members of all genders joining us in the city after work on March 8 to #EmbraceEquity

DOWNLOAD THE IWD MARCH POSTER AND DISPLAY IN YOUR WORK PLACE – click here

If you have any questions, contact Meredith Farmer at our office: 8410 0122 or email: meredithf@ieusa.org.au

Sources:
https://iwda.org.au/take-action/international-womens-day/
https://unwomen.org.au/
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/