8th March commemorates, celebrates and appreciate women across the globe. On this day, International Women's Day is marked and women from all walks of life are acknowledged and appreciated for their contribution, not only to society or within the workforce, but as nurturers for creating life and raising children to become respectful and insightful individuals. Marking 110th International Women's Day, the High Commission of India, in association with Enfield Saheli, All Ladies League UK, and the Confederation of Indian Industry hosted a networking lunch and panel discussion at India House, in Aldwych, London. Women from distinct and diverse professions, such as the media, the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Metropolitan Police, as well as entrepreneurs attended the event which highlighted women's contribution to humankind all over the world.
Some of the special speakers on the panel were Bina Mehta, Partner of KPMG; Jhumar Johnson, Director of Development at the Open University; Kate Osamor MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development; Wendy Rothbery, Group Captain at the RAF; Raageshwari Loomba, Bollywood actress, singer and mindfulness speaker; as well as Vandita Pant, Group Treasurer and Head of Europe at BHP Billiton, plus many more.
Krishna Pujara from Enfield Saheli and All Ladies League UK welcomed the guests and said, “We are aware that all women celebrate International Women's Day throughout the world. This is the time we highlight issues that are relevant to women. There are some people who say that women are the weaker sex. But we carry children, we carry babies – how can we be weak? We are the economy of the world. Let's all get together today and remember all the women who worked hard for women's rights.”
Attended by mostly women, Lord Swraj Paul was one of the few men who had graced the occasion. He said, “For me, Women's Day is 365 days a year and not one day.” He went on to speak about the disparity between the number of females in higher education in India compared to men. “In India, unfortunately, only 35% of women go to university. If we have more women going to university and into higher education, they would be a great asset to their country. Women [compared to men] are more serious, are far more intelligent.”
While addressing the attendees as the event, Kate Osamor MP said, “I'm really proud to be standing here in front of three powerful women that organise together, always remember each other, and more importantly know there has to be access to economic empowerment for women to be able to stand on their own two feet and not rely on a man, even though we need our brothers, we need our husbands, we need our partners, but that's what makes us who we are. But if we do not have money in our pockets, unfortunately, we are not empowered fully... There is so much work we still need to do. We are still campaigning about equal pay, or the lack of equal pay. There are so many women in high power jobs who are not being paid the same as men. And there are so many women in low paid jobs who are not being paid the same as men. So we have a long way to go still.”
Wendy Rothbery, spoke about the 100th year of the RAF and the Women Royal Air Force (WRAF), which was formed on 1st April 1918. She went on to speak about women's role and contribution to the air force over the last century. “We've come a long way since the early days in the Royal Air Force and we're in a better place than we were 100 years ago, certainly, but we've got a lot of work to do. And we're excited about the next hundred years.”
The relevance of Women's Day differs from person to person, hence, I asked some of the esteemed guests who were at the event to speak about what this day means for them. The inspirational Raageshwari Loomba shared, “For me it means [International Women's Day] as women, we should not use our power against men – we need to use our power over ourselves. It is not a battle against men; in fact, on Women's Day we need to unite with them because most of the problems can be solved if we truly unite firstly with women, and then unite with men. When I say unite with women, I mean do you really support your daughter-in-law, do you really support your mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Do you support your friends in the true sense of the word and are you truly happy with their success... For me on International Women's Day, I think women have a great responsibility because they are nurturers and they give birth; basically they can create miracles. But use your power with love, compassion and respect, and then you'll be able to make a paradigm shift.”
Reena Ranger, Founder & Chairwoman of WE (Women Empowered) said, “I think it's a day to celebrate all the women who have come before us and the progress they have pressed for and the progress that they have achieved. I think it is a reminder that we must continue to press for progress for all those women who do not have perhaps opportunity, equality and all the advantages, in order to continue with our fight so that we get gender parity and equality.”
When asked about International Women's Day, Varsha Kumari Mistry, the Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan Police Hindu Association said, “Anything that gives a lady confidence is always a good thing. The upliftment of women in whichever circle they might be is so important to make the world more balanced and a more progressive place for everybody. In the professional environment, in the home environment, for me International Women's Day is about highlighting shortcomings and inequalities that face women, and for bringing sisterly support together.”
For Warrant Officer at the RAF, Balbir Singh Flora MBE, International Women's Day is about “equality, not only in the job world. Not only should all jobs be open to ladies, it should also be about equal pay as well. I work for an organisation that provides both, so I'm very, very proud of it. Here we are celebrating it [International Women's Day] as a day, but we should be celebrating everyday because women have a lot to contribute. If it wasn't for women, we wouldn't be here”.
There was a time in history when women were treated abhorrently and were not given their respective due. We are fortunate to be living in a society today where women can live with their heads high and choose their lifestyle and make their own choices for themselves. However, we must not disregard those unfortunate and unprivileged women in many parts of the world who are still struggling and fighting to get their voice heard and to be treated as an equal counterpart. The day we truly are globally considered at par with men is probably when we would no longer need a specific day in the year to celebrate our existence – the celebration and recognition would be every single day.