By Zile Singh
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” —Michelle Obama. March 8th is International Women’s Day. The day is celebrated annually around the world to recognise the inequalities the women are facing. It’s seeds were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. In 1946, the United Nations formed a Commission on the Status of Women and in 1979, the UN General Assembly adopted a Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Here, ‘inequality’ and ‘discrimination’ complement each other. The International Women’s Decade was celebrated from 1976-1985. So far four International Women’s Conferences have been held in Mexico City, Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Beijing paving the way to link national women’s movements and the international community.
I had the opportunity to attend such a celebration in Vancouver, Canada. Almost all the speakers, panelists and attendees were from the south Asian diaspora. Some of them have worked for a long time for women empowerment in their own way. Two speakers were from the BC Legislature. An Iranian speaker listened attentively. So was a Canadian speaker.The speakers shed light in detail on the women empowerment in political, economic, personal, and social fields. The atmosphere was informative, interesting and a sort of thought provoking, leading to a conclusion that everyone should champion women’s rights. To achieve the desired results, in addition to appropriate laws, there is need to dismantle harmful cultural and religious biases and rebuilding them in a fair and equitable way. Thankfully one panelist, in consonance with breaking down the structural barriers mentioned in passing the ManuSmariti, known as Hindu Manav Dharma Shastra which advocates a ‘graded inequality’ among human beings. The women and the lower castes have been treated the worst. In Manu Smriti, there are about 40 derogatory comments about women. One such comment is – “Woman who disobeys orders even of her lethargic, alcoholic and diseased husband shall be deserted and be deprived of her ornaments.” In that cultural system, some women were obligated to keep their breasts uncovered in public. Some were forced to stay lifelong prostitutes in temples. There have been instances of ‘honour killings’in south Asian countries and in the south Asian diaspora in Canada. Even the Nobel Laureates like Nadia Murad, Malala Yousafzai, Narges Mohammadi were not spared of religious persecutions. Some Indian women also have faced the brunt of a conservative backlash while pushing for gender equality. They are- Savitribai Phule (Mother of Indian Feminism), Kavita Krishnan (All India Progressive Women’s Association), Sampat Pal Devi (Founder of Gulabi Gang), and Viji Penkootu (Right to Sit at workplace).
Although appropriate laws are in place, yet according to the 2024 world statistics, some 50,000 women were murdered by their intimate partners or the family members. Every 10- minute an atrocity is committed against the fairer sex. Cultural and religious dogmas force the south Asian women to abort her girl-child fetus. Unfortunately, the incidents of molestation, rape and murder are frequent. There is a common misconception that countries such as Canada have reached gender-equality, but sadly this isn’t true. On the Global Gender Gap Index, Canada ranks 36th out of 146 countries. In Canada, women in full-time employment earn 89 cents for every dollar men earn. In many countries women still work in hazardous vocations like mining and scavenging. Newly wed are sacrificed at the altar of ‘dowry’.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, a Bharat Ratna recipient and a champion of human rights introduced a Bill for Women’s equality and their rights, known as Hindu Code Bill in Parliament in 1951 as the first Law Minister of India. The Bill was rejected by a majority of orthodox members. Dr. Ambedkar felt defeated and resigned from the Cabinet voluntarily. He emphasised, “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”
The International Women’s Day 2026’s theme is “Give To Gain”, encouraging a mindset of generosity, collaboration, and investment in women to accelerate equality. This theme emphasizes that providing resources, knowledge, and support (giving) leads to greater, shared progress for everyone. Thus investment in women’s education is of prime importance. The focus is also on breaking down structural barriers and ensuring safety, stability, and a stronger voice for women in all aspects of life.
For International Women’s Day 2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to dismantle discriminatory laws, close gender gaps, and advance rights for all women and girls under the theme “Rights. Justice,Action. For All Women and Girls,” emphasizing that women’s rights are human rights.
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Zile Singh is an author, human rights activist, vipassana meditator and a golfer. He can be contacted at zsnirwal@yahoo.ca
