Who runs the world?

I think that the essence of what feminism is is frequently misinterpreted, something which makes me really sad. Too often do I hear the words ‘I’m not a feminist because I don’t think women are above men.’ or ‘Feminists are annoying.’ These two sentences perfectly convey the complete lack of understanding surrounding what it means to be a feminist and collectively, all genders must converse and push to break these misconceptions.

Feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should be equal. So by saying you’re not a feminist, this can be percieved as pretty problematic. 

But I understand this apathy. The topic is talked about all the time, and without proper understanding of what is exactly the cause worth fighting for; it can be tiring to hear about. However, this fight is too important to ignore, no matter how tired you are. The fact that one in three women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, the fact that in most countries, women make 30% less than their male counterparts and the fact that globally, women only make up 8% of political leaders means we cannot just ‘misinterpret’ this problem. We need to understand it, accept it and work together to solve it.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of  the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The significance of this day varies greatly around the world, but in ISL, the gender equality group hopes to make next Monday, the 8th of March, an important occasion to celebrate women and encourage gender equality throughout the school. 

The day will be filled with activities such as TED talks, a Kahoot taking place in homeroom, a raffle to raise money for a girl’s education charity in Afghanistan and expert talks hosted by inspiring women that can be attended during lunch. The colour of International Women’s Day is purple so, at the least, wear a purple item of clothing to show your support for gender equality and gain points for the Homeroom Hustle. We really hope that people of all genders can engage positively in this event. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing lots of you in purple on Monday.