International Women’s Gift-Giving Day
We mentioned International Women’s Day briefly yesterday; more about that today. International Women’s Day was originally a political occasion to honor women’s social and economical contributions. Women would hold rallies to protest their disadvantages in politics and society.
In many socialist countries, International Women’s Day was declared a holiday and promoted by the state. Today, International Women’s Day is still an important day for women who want to call attention to their political goals.
In many countries, however, International Women’s Day is no longer political or feminist, rather it’s become an International Women’s Gift-Giving Day, much like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. In Russia, men give gifts to the important women in their lives and congratulate every woman they happen to come across on that day.
The nice thing about Women’s Day is that no woman is excluded. Not single women - like Valentine’s Day - or childless women - like Mother’s Day. It’s about honoring women, without glossing over the fact that women still are disadvantaged in many ways. To balance out all that women’s interest stuff, there’s also a World Men’s Day (Ha! Sponsored by a chocolate bar manufacturer - how fitting!)
