International Women's Day

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900's and is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women's achievements throughout history and across nations. In 1977, the United Nations (UN) proclaimed it a "Day for Women's Rights and International Peace". The 2013 theme is: 'The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum'. Over time and distance, the equal rights of women have progressed. The achievements of women are being celebrated while remaining vigilant and tenacious for further sustainable change. There is global momentum for championing women's equality. In recent times much progress has been made to protect and promote women's rights. According to the United Nations, the majority of the world's 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 and 40% less pay than men earn for the same work. Women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide In a report by the National Academies Committee published in Inside Higher Education on 'The Real Barriers for Women in Science', women were seriously underrepresented on academic science and engineering faculties because of a mix of 'unintentional' biases and outdated institutional policies and structures. Women were 'very likely' to face discrimination, sometimes deliberately but often inadvertently, in every field of science and engineering. The discrimination results from a combination of built-in biases which make them less likely to hire a woman than a man with identical accomplishments, of evaluation criteria that 'contain arbitrary and subjective components that disadvantage women.'