International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of all women and women-identifying individuals.
The day is all about unity, reflection, advocacy and action – and marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality in all aspects of society.
Here at the University of Newcastle, IWD celebrations are held annually on or around the 8th of March and form an integral part of how the University raises awareness for the need for gender parity.
The Women’s Collective is a major contributor to the Uni’s IWD celebrations, providing a platform for students to get involved to celebrate women’s achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.
Convenor of the Women’s Collective Paris Drinkwater outlines what the collective does,
‘The Women’s Collective is an autonomous feminist group for women and non-binary identifying students which provides a safe and inclusive space for students to learn, grow and support one another. All female-identifying students are able to join the collective and can do so via visiting our Facebook and Instagram profiles. The Women’s Collective participate in and hold a variety of activities such as; political activism, networking events for students and industry professionals, crafternoons and movie nights’.
The theme of IWD changes every year and the 2020 theme is ‘#EachforEqual’. This year’s theme signifies the need for fair opportunities for all, as an equal world is an enabled world. Also, the day aims to showcase to an international audience that everyone has the ability to take positive action, no matter how big or small, to help towards forging a more gender-equal world.
Paris says the day is extremely significant for members of the collective,
‘International Women’s Day is a day where we can celebrate all women and their achievements. Throughout history many women, especially women who are people of colour, transgender, disabled or a combination of these factors, have been disadvantaged and oppressed by society. Even now, many women still face these issues and more. IWD offers us the opportunity to continue advocating for the importance and value of female voices everywhere, which I think is pretty amazing’.
Students can show their support for IWD by attending the University’s annual celebration.
Feature image via: The Univeristy of Newcastle