“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” Jane Austen, one of the world’s successful female writer, speaks for women and believes them as an independent creature, they all have their ability and rights to vote and live out their lives. March 8 was selected as the International Women’s Day by the 1910 Socialists Women’s Conference. After the day was established, it quickly spread around the world and called for women’s rights. The original purpose for all the women to unit together was they wanted to have the voting rights. As the time develops, International Women’s Day becomes an event for women to help each other who suffer discrimination, violent and unequal treatment.

The topic of 2018 International Women’s Day is PressforProgress which is calling for women to build up their ability and work all towards to reach their goal which is to chase for their rights and equality. For the process, there are many women join in the progress of protecting women rights and they can go to the website of International Women’s Day to receive more information on PressforProgress. Basically, it is a strong call motivate and unit friends, colleagues, family and whole community to think, act and be gender inclusive.

There are five choices that can women pick specifically PressforProgress which are maintain a gender parity mindset, challenge stereotypes and bias, forge positive visibility of women, influence others belief/actions and celebrate women’s achievement. Based on these choices, it can expand the ability of women and help them to build up strong relationship among each other. Because only all the women come together and fight for the same goal, there will be a greater chance of success for all of them.

This year, International Women’s Day comes on to a procedure of global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. Sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women has captured headlines and public discourse, improved by a rising determination for change. International Women’s Day 2018 is an opportunity to transform all these plan into action, to empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential.

In 2018, there are more women’s issues being paid attention and worked on. Follow the steps of improving women’s rights, more and more women who lack of ability to stand out for themselves receive more help from others. Women take a lot of responsibility in the society and only if they get supported, the whole society will get supported.

<Emily Yuan Northwood HS 11th Grade>