In 1910 Clara Zetkin, head of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – an International Women’s Day – to highlight women’s problems and press for women’s demands. The first IWD was on 19 March 1911. In 1913 it was moved to 8 March which has remained the world-wide IWD date ever since. Each year the United Nations sets a global theme for IWD, but each country may override it with a national theme. The 2009 IWD global theme – ‘Women and men united to end violence against women and girls’ – has been adopted by Australia which has 162 scheduled IWD events. It’s abhorrent that in 2009 Australia, women and girls are victims of violence. It’s a blight on our society. We as a nation should be ashamed of ourselves. Though in Australia white women have enjoyed universal suffrage since 1902 (it took Aboriginal women 60 years longer – another source of national shame), 107 years later women are in many important respects still second-class citizens. As I’ve previously written, my darling wife, daughters and granddaughters have declared me an honorary woman. What a badge of honour. I fervently hope that one day women – in Australia and globally – will belatedly win equality. But it definitely won’t happen in my lifetime.
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