(Happy) Women’s Day
A day that is supposed to celebrate equality…
After the Socialist Party of America organized a Women’s Day on February 28, 1909, in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Woman’s Conference suggested a Women’s Day be held annually. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there.
suffrage /ˈsʌfrɪdʒ/ (noun) : the right to vote in political elections
Last Friday started with a different tone — instead of TGIF messages, I received “Happy Women’s Day” messages on my WhatsApp groups. Startled of my forgetfulness, I quickly wished HWD to my wife also with a kiss — trying to pretend that I remembered it all along.
By the time the day ended, I noticed here is how it would have gone for most women/ladies/girls/females:
- Getting decked up in red or pink outfits and ensuring that they look at their best in office
- Buying a gift for their favorite female acquaintance (about whom they bitch the least) on their way to the office
- Reaching office and getting excited about all the sweet gifts or notes their male friends would have shared with them to make feel special
- Clicking pictures of the gifts/notes and posting it on Instagram with hashtag #HWD
- Clicking pictures with their office colleagues who made them feel special and posting it on Instagram to let the world know that #MyOfficeColleaguesAreTheBest
- Planning out where all the females in the office would go for lunch — and in some cases even movies
- Actually going out for lunch — clicking pictures before and after eating.
- Posting the pictures on Instagram and discussing with other friends what they did this women’s day
- Leaving the work early with a genuine reason — their husband/boyfriend had planned something special for the evening
- Going out for dinner/movie/party and clicking pictures
- Posting the pictures on Instagram
While the males are buying gifts, writing grateful notes, gifting chocolates and planning out evening dates. Plus they do not get an option to slack off at work since it’s #HappyWomensDay. Someone rightly said, why should men have all the (read any) fun?
The sad part is the day which should celebrate equality, the day when the bravest women fought for their right to vote, right to work, or right to equal pay, on that day we are building culture when women are treated differently.
Is this the right way to celebrate women’s day? Is it in any way a HAPPY Women’s Day?
