IWD 2024: Inspire inclusion

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

International Women’s Day (IWD) like every year is being observed around the globe on March 8 2024 celebrating women’s achievements in various social, economic, political and cultural fields with the tagline- “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”. The specific campaign theme of IWD 2024 is –“Inspire Inclusion” emphasizing the importance of diversity and empowerment of women in all aspects of Society.

Women must be given their due role and status in the society. ‘Inclusion’ refers to the active process of creating a society where all women feel valued, respected and empowered to participate in all spheres of life as a full member of the Society. The in-depth message of ‘Inspire Inclusion’ in this year’s International Women’s Day theme is to inspire others to understand and appreciate the value of including women for ensuring: -Equal access to opportunities and resources, that is, education, employment, healthcare, political participation, etc.

-Representation and participation in decision-making—women’s voices are heard in shaping initiatives, priorities that impact their lives -Celebrating diversity- recognizing and valuing experiences, perspectives and contributions of women from all segments of life including different cultures, ethnicities, abilities, religions, sexual orientations and gender identities.

When women are excluded from all these activities, the entire economic development process of the society sustains a serious drawback. Hence an environment needs to be created where every woman can feel comfortable, sharing their opinions and experiences respectfully, fostering empathy and understanding.

The tagline for International Women’s Day 2024—“Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” underlines the importance of collective action and investment emphasizing it a human rights issue. Women are the backbone of families and communities: they provide care, supports and children nurturing, thereby works as a skilled workforce raising a happier and healthier community.

When women are living safe, fulfilled, and productive lives, they contribute to the empowerment and development of the family and the community with full potential. Winnie Byanyima, Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) once told reporters: “We have overwhelming evidence from almost all the developing regions of the world that [investment in] women make better economies.”

In today’s world, women are facing multiple crises including climate change impacts. In order to facilitate women’s active participation in all walks of life, gender equality is a vital field to be redressed. One of the main challenges towards achieving gender equality by 2030 is an alarming lack of financing.

Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development agenda adopted by UN Member States in 2015 set a 2030 deadline for the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls; an additional $360 billion is required per year to achieve gender equality.

This author feels that change in attitude among the male heads of family and community is extremely essential for upgrading women’s empowerment status.

Families must recognize the contributions of their family’s female members (girls and women) and ensure proper respect and status counting every woman as individual entity capable of bringing about social change. Let us look at the following inspiring story:- 

“Diya was a village girl of a poverty-stricken family. Her father owned a small piece of ancestral agricultural land where he used to grow some crops, earn money by selling agricultural produces in the village market. With this meager income, Diya’s father somehow managed the expenditure of his family of 6.

Diya’s mother used to help Diya’s father in field works after managing her household chores. Diya had just passed her SSC with distinction. Diya was dreaming to get herself admitted to a college. But her dream shattered! Unfortunately that year due to flood and other natural calamities, no crop could be grown, so there was no income. Diya’s family had fallen into extreme poverty and economic hardship. Diya’s father decided to stop Diya’s education but would continue her brothers’ education even under great financial hardship. 

To Diya’s father, son’s education was more important than daughter’s education because daughter goes to some other family after marriage. Diya tried to persuade her father that she would do the job of private tutor for managing her college education. But her father did not approve her proposal. At this critical time, a good marriage proposal for Diya came and her father immediately solemnized Diya’s wedding with Dip, a NGO worker. Diya had a dream to take higher education and establish herself as an earning member to support her father and the family. Diya’s father-in-law had a small grocery shop in the village market. Fortunately, both Dip and his father had a different attitude; they believed in girls’ education for making them self-reliant Appreciating Diya’s keen interest and merit for gathering higher education, Dip and his father admitted Diya to a college. Within a few years Diya successfully completed her graduation. Then she joined a school as a teacher. Now Diya became an earning member of the family and started supporting her husband and father-in-law.

The family had now to a greater extent achieved financial solvency. Now both Diya and Dip was looking ahead for a brighter and prosperous future….”

It’s evident from the above story that it was Dip and his father plus other family members’ positive attitude towards girl’s education that helped Diya pursue higher education and in becoming self-reliant and getting herself empowered.

Education and awareness play a vital role in fostering inclusion and empowerment of women. Education empowerment can very effectively help women to achieve socio-economic status.

Changing men’s attitude and behavior is crucial to realizing women’s equality which encourage men to perform positive actions by avoiding the negative ones at individual (Family) and wider societal level towards ensuring the just position of women and empowerment. By investing in women, we can speed the transition to a healthier, safer, and more equal world banishing all sorts of discrimination.

(Prof. M Zahidul Haque is a retired Professor and a former Dean of Faculty of Agriculture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka email: prof_haque@hotmail.com)