What is the theme of International Women’s Day 2021?
INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women around the globe.
It has been marked on March 8 every year for more than a century and each year has a different theme.
What is the theme of International Women’s Day 2021?
The theme of IWD 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge.
It urges us to call out gender bias and inequality to create a more inclusive world.
How can I get involved?
There are plenty of ways to get involved with IWD 2021, despite the pandemic.
One easy way is to take part in the Choose To Challenge pose on social media.
IWD organisers are asking people to pose with their hand high to show their commitment to challenging inequality, calling out bias, questioning stereotypes, and helping to forge an inclusive world.
Participants can submit their photos online and some will be featured on the IWD website and social media feeds.
Another way to get involved could be to fundraise for a female-focused charity.
IWD raised a six-figure sum in 2020, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly to charity.
The organisation’s charities of choice include Catalyst, Equality Now, and Dress for Success.
Those up for the challenge could even host their own digital event within their local community or organisation.
How can I mark IWD this year?
Usually IWD is marked with marches across the globe, with the main one, March4Women, taking place in London.
But due to the pandemic, participants need to find other ways to mark the important day.
This year’s #March4Women was hosted by Stylist on March 7, but you can still watch the recording.
Other collective events happening include the Together We Ride cycle across the United States, and Raise Your Glass for Equality, a virtual toast hosted by New York Times best-selling author and speaker Lee Woodruff.
Another simple way to mark the day is to wear the colours of IWD – purple, green and white – which originate from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.
Purple signifies justice and dignity, green symbolises hope, and white represents purity.
Or you could watch some of the many IWD videos as powerful discussion starters.
Share them with your friends, family or colleagues – or even go the extra mile and make one yourself!
How is IWD celebrated across the world?
IWD is a worldwide event and there are more than 500 events taking place worldwide in 2021.
But the day is celebrated quite differently in every country.
Some have made it an official holiday, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Russia, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia.
Others are hosting festivals, panel discussions and other group activities.
Hong Kong is hosting a virtual panel celebrating the work on women creatives in one of Asia’s busiest hubs for cultural-exchange.
And in China’s Liaoning Province, performers from the Dragon and Phoenix Performance Team put on a dragon dance show at Beiling Park of Shenyang City.
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In Italy, Turkey, Romania, Poland and Serbia, students are taking part in a eTwinning project called ‘Stay at home. Read a book. Watch a movie’.
They will share ideas about inspirational heroines in some of their favourite novels and films.
And Barbados is running a three-day interactive event called ‘Undeniably You’ which will aim to tackle the lines between gender and race.
The IWD website has the full list of events happening around the world.