International Women's Day: Huge deal in Eastern Europe
Last week, our show (check it out here) happened to fall on International Womenâs Day. The worldwide holiday celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women but also promotes action for gender equality. The day is so entrenched in the Eastern European tradition that it is known simply by its date (for example, 8. ĐŒĐ°ŃŃ in Serbian, or 8 ĐŒĐ°ŃŃĐ° in Russian), and counties like Russia actually have it designated as a national holiday with time off work.
On the show, we talked about the Eastern European experience with the holiday.
We started off by discussing this yearâs theme, #PledgeforParity. Even if the holiday has ended, the fight continues into the next few weeks. In the short run, there are still upcoming events that will be held all around the world on behalf of womenâs rights. In the long run, International Womenâs Day is symbolic for ongoing activism for womenâs rights.
We also looked at the history of the movement. While many countries around the world held rallies and activist activities to unify women starting from the early 1900s, March 8 as we know it started 103 years ago with the first ever International Womenâs Day taking place in Russia as part of a larger proletariat, womenâs suffrage march that tied into the socialist ideal. It was all about activism for womenâs rights back in the day in Eastern Europe. Listen to us quote the empowering original speech given on that historical day (our reference is a greatJacobin article that translated the speech into English).
Finally, we looked at the importance Eastern European countries place on International Womenâs Day today. We noted that, on the day, there is a high level of men showing appreciation for women in places like Russia, Ukraine, and the Balkans. In fact, after our show, we talked about how Russiaâs flower business has its biggest boom each year on that day. We also talked about evidence that many Eastern European countries still rely on patriarchal societal structures, and that some women are taking action to implement change. As we are a show devoted to the arts, we found a great article about some "artivists" who are using their art to inspire discussion and change regarding gender equality.
Our serious conversations were buffered with some kick-ass, female empowered music.
