Women across the world make outstanding achievements all year long, so why should celebrating these accomplishments be confined to a single day? International Women’s Day takes place on March 8, during Women’s History Month. While setting aside a day to acknowledge all the significant women in your life and abroad is important, we should also remember to recognize these women’s achievements everyday.
Angelique Inchierca / photo Editor
Having a set day to celebrate all women, nationally and internationally, does remind people of the amazing women in their lives and how they shaped them into the people they are today. But if these women are so important, then the celebratory mentality people have on International Women’s Day should last throughout the year. There seems to be a national day for everything nowadays, whether it is for pizza or puppies. Important days, like International Women’s Day, should not be lumped in with all of the random days that celebrate miniscule things.
According to womenscouncil.com, the purpose of International Women’s Day is to celebrate “the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, present and future. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.” On days where international events are celebrated, social media is flooded with posts from people who are more than likely uneducated about the true meaning of the significance of the day. International Women’s Day is not a day to go on social media and bash men, brag or place women above men. It is not a day to just celebrate being a woman for the sake of being a woman. It is a day to recognize and celebrate how far women have come in history and remember what still needs to be done.
A question that is often asked when people talk about International Women’s Day is, what about International Men’s Day? International Men’s Day takes place on Nov. 19. While there are many men who achieve great things, people only seem to question why men are not being celebrated when another group is receiving a little bit of recognition.
Important achievements, made by women as well as men, should be identified and celebrated. Limiting recognition of impressive accomplishments to one day almost takes away the achievements of those who have contributed to society and benefited it. Those celebrating International Women’s Day should be mindful of their word choice when discussing womanhood. Not all women, biological or transgender, can become pregnant or go through a menstrual cycle. By equating being a woman with these experiences, people are actually excluding a group of people who are just as much a woman as the next.
It is difficult to pack appreciation for an entire group into a month, week or day. These international celebration days should serve as a reminder to acknowledge those women who have impacted your life as well as others. Let International Women’s Day serve as a reminder that people should take a day to recognize those who deserve admiration and continue to celebrate outstanding women throughout the year.
