Happy International Women’s Day! Newspapers are laden with pictures of women, Twitter is alive with anecdotes about the fairer sex and corporates feign interest in the hope of gaining some positive coverage. Meanwhile, politicians are busy giving bland statements about the importance of “women’s equality”. And the rest of us? We’ve barely even noticed.
For most women outside the City – and for those fortunate enough not to use Twitter – today is just another day. In fact, if I had to draw a cartoon of what IWD has become it would probably involve a female investment banker sneering down her nose at a stay-at-home mother telling her: ‘It’s International Women’s Day, don’t you know?’. International Women’s Day has certainly come a long way from its roots. When it was founded by a group of socialist women in New York back in 1909 their demands were for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. In the 100 years since, equality between the sexes has improved immeasurably. Yes,
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