Oxfam Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of International Women's Day

March 8, 2011 is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and to mark the occasion, humanitarian and development agency Oxfam is acknowledging women’s movements and the struggle for equality.

While New Zealand has been a world leader in women’s suffrage, granting women the right to vote in 1893, many countries have still not taken this basic step. Inequality and discrimination remain a daily fact of life for many women – particularly in the developing world where the denial of women's fundamental rights is a major cause of poverty.

Oxfam Ambassador Annie Lennox says: “A lot has changed since 1911, but there is still a long way to go. Gender inequality continues to permeate all sectors of society, from health and education to politics, employment and culture. Oxfam aims to step up the call for a more equal world and galvanise a new generation of men and women to work together to make gender equality a reality."

Globally we spend as much on erectile dysfunction in three months as we do on maternal and newborn health in poor countries in an entire year. Some other shocking statistics are:

• 68 per cent of women in Kiribati, 67 per cent in Papua New Guinea, 55 per cent in the Solomon Islands, 20 per cent in Samoa, and 15 per cent in New Zealand have experienced sexual violence from their intimate partner.

• Women produce the majority of the world’s food but rarely own the land they farm. In Sub Saharan African women produce 80 per cent of the household food but they only own one per cent of the land.

• Every minute a woman with no medical care dies in pregnancy or childbirth.

• Women make up 20 million of the 26 million people estimated to have been displaced by climate change.

• Two-thirds of all children denied schooling are girls and 64 per cent of the world’s illiterate adults are women.

International Women’s Day marks the economic, political and social achievements of women, with the 2011 theme focusing on equal access to education, training, and science and technology. Millions will take part in celebrations and discussions around the world – in China women have the day off work, in Bosnia and Italy women are given gifts of flowers and in Cameroon women dance in the streets in celebration.

In New Zealand, nationwide events have been planned in homes, work places, schools, and community centres, where attendees are invited to reflect on the progress that has been made in women’s rights, to discuss the inequalities that still exist, share experiences and ideas with people around the globe, and take action to transform the lives of those women and girls who remain excluded and violated.

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EDITOR’S NOTES:

For more information about Oxfam’s work on gender equity, please visit:

http://www.oxfam.org.nz/what-we-do/issues/gender-equality

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