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WTF Is International Women's Day?

And why does it even matter?

Oh hey, happy International Women’s Day!

You’ll be hearing that a lot from us today but to kick things off we thought we’d give a little background on just exactly WTF is IWD, FYI.

International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate achievement from women in all walks of life, from business to education to just general awesomeness. But IWD is also a day to recognise that around the world there’s still a huge amount to be done to achieve gender parity, and even where there is progress, it’s slow, and in some places, getting even slower.

WTF is parity?

This year’s IWD theme is #PledgeForParity, and parity is a word that’ll be cropping up a lot, and rightly so. Parity is basically just a more specific form of equality; it refers to the state of being equal regardless of status or pay. It means that we want women to not ever be restricted in their lives because of their gender.

In 2014, the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicted that it would take until 2095 to achieve gender parity around the world. Last year though they estimated that slowed progress means it now will actually be more like 2133. That’s a bloody long way away.

So, today is all about making a commitment to work towards getting this final, glorious parity end date just that little bit nearer.

WTF can I do?

There’s a whole bunch of stuff you can do over at the official IWD website, whether it’s donating to a female-led charity, heading down to one of the many empowering IWD events and festivals, or just tweeting your #PledgeForParityselfie.

There's so many actions you can take to help make a difference today - the smallest things can make the biggest changes. Check out what Everyday Sexism creator Laura Bates suggested right here.

But I’m a man, WTF am I supposed to do?

IWD is about women, sure, but it’s not just for women. It’s for everyone. As Emma Watson so brilliantly points out with her #HeForShe campaign, if we want to achieve parity, it takes all of us. Maybe today it’s just a case of having a think about how you treat the women in your life, or maybe you want to celebrate one (or loads) of them who inspire you. You dudes can get involved in every way women can (equality, amiright?). So men, get out there and get involved with any and all of the above!

So that’s it folks, simple really. Let’s do this, let’s get celebrating and get talking and most importantly, let’s bring that parity date forward!

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