speech on women's equality day

Women's Equality Day

Since 1971, Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated annually on August 26. The celebration falls on the anniversary of the certification of the 19 th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.

The Woman Suffrage Amendment was first introduced on January 10, 1878. It was resubmitted numerous times until it was finally approved by both the House and Senate in June 1919. The bill needed to be approved by two-thirds of the states, so suffragists spent the next year lobbying state legislatures to gain support for the bill. On August 24, 1920, Tennessee became 36 th and final state to ratify the amendment, which passed by only one vote. That one vote belonged to Harry Burn, who heeded the words of his mother when she urged him to vote for suffrage. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the amendment into law on August 26, 1920.

Fifty years later on August 26, 1970, Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women organized a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality. Women across the political spectrum joined together to demand equal opportunities in employment and education, as well as 24-hour childcare centers. This was the largest protest for gender equality in United States history. There were demonstrations and rallies in more than 90 major cities and small towns across the country and over 100,000 women participated, including 50,000 who marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

In addition to the marches, groups of women participated in publicity stunts aimed at garnering more recognition of gender inequality. Women in New York City took over the Statue of Liberty, hanging two 40 foot banners from the crown reading “March on August 26 for Equality” and “Women of the World Unite.” An organized group stopped the ticker tape at the American Stock Exchange, and held signs such as, “We won’t bear any more bull.” Female teachers also filed a lawsuit against the New York City Board of Education in which they demanded gender equality in appointing educational administration positions. The case lasted about 10 years and finally resulted in an increase in female principals.

While the strike did not halt the activities of the nation, it drew national attention to the Women’s Movement. The New York Times , for example, published their first major article on the Feminist Movement by covering the events of the day. It even included a map of the route the marchers took through the city.

In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced a successful bill designating August 26th of each year as Women’s Equality Day. Part of the bill reads that Women’s Equality Day is a symbol of women’s continued fight for equal rights and that the United States commends and supports them. It decreed that the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of woman suffrage and the 1970 Strike for Equality. Women today continue to draw on the history of these brave and determined women.

Read President Obama’s proclamation for Women’s Equality Day 2013 here .

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Women’s Equality Day Is a Reminder That the Fight for Women’s Rights Didn’t End With the 19th Amendment

T he centennial of the day the 19th Amendment took effect is not the only historic occasion to be marked this August 26, which was designated as Women’s Equality Day by the U.S. Congress in 1973. It was on that day in 1970 that over 100,000 women—and some men —took to the streets across the nation in a Women’s Strike for Equality, using the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage to bring renewed attention to women’s rights.

This march was the biggest women’s mobilization in U.S. history until the Women’s March in 2017 shattered that record—and, like the more recent example, was both a significant catalyst for change and a spark that awakened opposition. The Women’s Strike for Equality caught Americans off guard in 1970, highlighting discontent about women’s status in America that had been brewing since pioneering Rosie the Riveters were fired from their jobs and told to go home to make way for the boys returning after World War II. The organizers sought to draw a continuous line between their actions and those of earlier women’s suffrage advocates, but they also wanted to make clear that voting rights had not led to gender equality or equal political power. Fifty years after women’s suffrage was inscribed into the U.S. Constitution, the work was unfinished. Today, 50 more years have passed and the same truth remains.

For many Americans, watching local and national coverage of the Women’s Strike for Equality on the evening news was the first time they saw feminism on display. Viewers witnessed a movement that cut across all identity and partisan lines, with women marching in over 90 cities across the country. The largest gathering in New York City stretched across Fifth Avenue, 50,000-people deep. There were radical “Weatherwomen and [more moderate] League of Women Voters members … black women, suburban housewives, professionals, office workers, women of the peace movement, Black Panthers and religious orders,” reported one journalist on the scene in Washington, D.C., where over 1,000 attendees carried a banner asserting, We Demand Equality.

The original idea was a dramatic union-styled work stoppage. “Don’t Iron While the Strike is Hot,” became the strike’s leading slogan. “Don’t Cook Dinner, Starve a Rat Today,” went another. Madison Avenue became “Dolly Madison Avenue” after a determined woman scaled the street sign to make this correction. Femininity was on notice, just as herstory was being written. “Sisterhood Is Powerful” and “Unite Women” were prominently featured slogans that signaled the coalescence of a mass women’s movement weaving together a kaleidoscope of diverse interests. “ We’re your sisters, we need your help,” challenged a member of the Radical Lesbians, who spoke at a culminating rally at Bryant Park in New York City. And Frances Beale, leader of the Third World Women’s Alliance, challenged white women from less radical feminist groups like National Organization for Women to be more attuned—in their policy prescriptions and organizing tactics—to the “double jeopardy” women of color experienced because of their gender and race.

From this wide range of feminist groups across the political spectrum, organizers promoted three straightforward policy goals: universal childcare, free abortion on demand and equal opportunity in workplaces.

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In some ways, they were successful. Strikers capitalized on media attention to pressure the U.S. Congress and Nixon Administration for change. In the immediate aftermath of the strike, feminists convinced (overwhelmingly male) legislators to pass transformative laws that changed the landscape for women in school, at work and at home—the passage of Title IX of the Higher Educational Amendments Act in 1972 and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974 are two highlights.

But the Women’s Strike for Equality was also an early crystalizing moment for conservative women and their allies. By the mid-1970s, feminists would be routinely squaring off against opponents over issues such as federally subsidized childcare, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the merits of legalized abortion at the federal level following the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973. The march in 1970 previewed the opposition that was to come as issues of women, gender and the family—what conservatives would eventually dub the “family values” agenda—moved to the center of national debate.

One enterprising housewife, Helen Andelin of Santa Barbara, Calif., told reporters in 1970 that rather than strike for women’s equality on August 26, she planned to hold Celebration of Womanhood Day instead. A 50-year-old mother of six, she urged like-minded women to wear their “most frilly, feminine dress” and bring their husband a “delicious breakfast with a smile in bed” that day. Only women, she believed, could challenge women’s liberation, which she feared, “was destroying our femininity that men love so much.”

But popularizing the catchphrase “the personal is political” proved easier for feminists than changing the fundamental structural underpinnings of sexism in all areas of business, politics and everyday American life. The bipartisan support for feminism that had made sweeping legislation possible earlier in the 1970s soon faded. In recent years, participants in the #MeToo, #TimesUp and #SayHerName movements have underscored the unfinished business of the women who went on strike in 1970. Today, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the strikers’ demand for universal childcare is particularly urgent.

At this 50th anniversary of the march—as we also mark the suffrage centennial at a moment of incredible financial hardship and strain on families, especially those headed by single mothers —it is time to shift this course and finally realize the goal of women’s equality.

Stacie Taranto and Leandra Zarnow are the editors of Suffrage at 100: Women in American Politics since 1920 , available from Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Writing A Women’s Day Speech: 7 Tips and Examples

Every year on March 8th, the world recognizes International Women’s Day. It’s a day for celebrating the economic, social, cultural, and political accomplishments of women and for celebrating Women’s Rights . In 1911, over a million people from Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland celebrated the first International Women’s Day . Today, in addition to celebrating women’s achievements, IWD is an opportunity to call for gender equality and justice. Speeches are held at events around the world. How do you write a good speech for International Women’s Day? Here are seven tips and examples:

Tip #1: Know your audience

Before writing a speech, you want to know who your audience is and what they care about. Without this information, you may write something that doesn’t resonate. It may not be bad, but it may miss the mark. As an example, if you don’t know recent college graduates make up most of your audience, you may write a speech that fails to take into account their youth, their goals (like starting a career), their knowledge and experience of history, and so on. Your audience’s age is just one piece of information about them. In a 2019 article on Ideas.Ted.com , Briar Goldberg describes how audiences can be broken into three types: expert, novice, and mixed. If you’re speaking to an expert audience, you’ll rely on more complex arguments and terminology than if you were speaking to a novice audience. With mixed audiences, appealing to emotions is often the best choice.

At the 2020 International Finance Corporation’s celebration event for International Women’s Day, the CEO Philippe Le Houérou spoke to his audience’s interests by focusing on economics, numbers, and ways IFC is addressing gender inequality, saying :

“At IFC, we have developed a comprehensive approach to reducing gender inequality. We create partnerships to encourage the hiring of women and improve their working conditions. We help expand access to financial services for women. We invest in innovative technologies that expand choices for female consumers and employment. And we work with partners to provide business skills and leadership training to women entrepreneurs.”

Tip #2: Write a strong opening

A strong opening engages the listener and gives them a general roadmap of your speech. Depending on your speech’s context and audience, you can experiment with opening styles. If you’re speaking to a general audience, an anecdote is a great way to capture your listener’s attention and get them emotionally invested. If your audience consists of experts or academics, it might be best to keep your introduction as brief as possible (many speeches begin with thank yous), so you can spend more time on the speech’s main points.

Consider then-UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri’s 2013 speech to the mostly-expert audience of the Open Society Foundation. Her topic was on the importance of girls’ education. After thanking the audience, she opened with strong, clear language to emphasize the speech’s main message:

“Your Excellencies, fellow panelists, ladies and gentlemen. I am honoured to be participating in this very important side event on the right to education in the post-2015 agenda. I sincerely thank the International Council for Adult Education, the Global Campaign for Education and all of the convening organizations for inviting me to speak today. UN Women considers that education is one of the greatest game-changers for women and girls around the world. It is both an enabler and force multiplier for women’s economic, political and social empowerment and gender equality.”

Tip #3: Include statistics to support your claims

When you’re writing a speech about issues like gender equality in education, healthcare, or the workplace, you want to give the audience specific information about the issue. Without key statistics , the audience won’t know how serious an issue is or what progress is being made. It isn’t enough to say that “many” girls don’t receive equal education compared to boys or that things are “improving.” What are the actual numbers? Sharing statistics also shows you did your research, which gives your words credibility.

You can also include data to show what specific organizations are doing and how they’re impacting gender equality. That’s what Michelle Obama did in her 2016 speech at the Let Girls Learn event that celebrated Women’s Day. She sprinkled facts through her speech on how Let Girls Learn was making a difference. Here’s an example:

“Folks of all ages and all walks of life are stepping up, as well. More than 1,600 people in nearly all 50 states have donated money to Let Girls Learn Peace Corps projects. Our #62MillionGirls hashtag was the number-one hashtag in the U.S., with people across the country talking about the power of education. And we’ll be launching the next phase of this social media campaign next week at South by Southwest.”

Tip #4: Strike the right tone

How do you want to present yourself? What kinds of emotions do you want to stir in your audience? These types of questions help you identify the appropriate tone for your speech. This is another reason why knowing your audience matters. When you’re speaking to a group of seasoned experts in a formal setting, your tone will likely sound more analytical and logical. If you were speaking in a more casual environment to a group unfamiliar with your subject, you’ll probably want to adopt a more personal, conversational style. If you want to provoke emotions in your listeners and get them to care, stories are very effective. If your goal is to inform and educate, it’s wise to rely on facts and stats.

Tracee Ellis Ross’ 2018 TED Talk on women’s anger is a great example of a speech with a tone that fits the speech’s context. She’s speaking to a mixed-gender audience in a non-academic setting. Because the topic she’s covering is personal, she uses a conversational, almost intimate style that switches between the first and second person. She addresses both the women and men in the audience, but keeps the women centered. Here’s an example toward the end of the speech:

“Our culture is shifting, and it’s time. So my fellow women and our gentle men, as we are here together within this particular window of this large-scale movement towards women’s equality, and as we envision a future that does not yet exist, we both have different invitations.”

Tip #5: Pay attention to structure

At their most basic, speeches consist of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each section serves an important purpose. The introduction establishes your credibility, the speech’s tone, and its goals. The body, which is the main part of the speech, fills in the points you want to cover using statistics, stories, or other forms of evidence. The conclusion wraps everything up and emphasizes what you want your audience to remember. Unlike something that’s written, your audience can’t look back to find their way if they get lost, so as you move through the three sections, you want things to be as clear and simple as possible.

In 2021, Srishti Baksh gave a TedTalk relating her 2,300-mile walk journey across India where she held driving workshops to empower women’s ability to move across the country. She uses a simple structure that opens with the story of the first time she went to a movie alone with her friends at age 14. She was assaulted in the theater. She then zooms out, describing how there are 600 million women in India, but women rarely go outside because they’re not safe. In the body of her speech, she zooms back in to talk about her walking journey, the women she met, the empowering and terrifying things she witnessed, and how she joined forces with another woman to create a movement that trains female drivers. She concludes with a clear message:

“By rethinking mobility for women, giving them a safe transport and safety outside of home, it is our hope to transform our culture. Apart from having a profound impact on the Indian economy, this is about something much bigger. As you all know, when we move, we can be seen. The more women see other women in public spaces, the more safe, independent and empowered each one of us will be. So. If we can learn how to walk, certainly we can learn how to fly.”

Tip #6: Use repetition to your advantage

How do you make sure your audience gets the point of your speech? How do you make your speech – which might be one of many speeches the audience sits through – memorable? Repetition. You want to repeat your main point throughout your speech. It’s a good idea to include it at least three times: in the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. There are other types of repetition that make your speech memorable, too. Repetition can include keywords, phrases, and even the sounds of words. Repetition looks different depending on what kind of speech you’re giving. If you’re giving an emotion-driven speech, frequent repetition of the same words/phrases adds to the emotional punch. For informational or educational speeches where powerful emotions aren’t necessarily appropriate, use different words/phrases to repeat the main point.

For an example of good repetition in a speech, let’s look at Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s 2016 Keynote at Women of the World . From a word search, it’s clear what the speech is about. Together, the words “intersectionality” and “intersectional” appear 42 times. Repetition is found within sentences and paragraphs, too:

“There are multiple forms of intersectionality . I could talk about a lot of them, but the kind of intersectionality that I most want to talk about is the intersectionality around politics – political intersectionality .”

“So the question we have to ask is, what can we each do about it? We’ve been saying the first thing you can do about it is say her name. Do not allow her death to happen in silence. Do not allow their children, their loved ones to grieve for them in silence. Do not allow , do not affirm the belief that their lives are insignificant.”

Tip #7: Ask rhetorical questions

Do you want to increase audience engagement? Ask rhetorical questions. When you ask a question, your audience is forced to think more deeply about your words. They’re more likely to listen more closely, as well, since the information that follows a question will provide more context. You can use rhetorical questions in a few ways. You can anticipate a question your audience might have, set up an important point, or even encourage an emotional response. Even though audience members won’t shout out an answer (unless you encourage them to do so), asking questions makes your speech feel more interactive and engaging.

Let’s look at a 2003 speech by Maxine Waters at the National Youth Summit. While it isn’t directly about women’s rights, it serves as a great example of how to use questions in a speech. Right from the beginning, it’s clear this speech is going to be interactive. She says good morning to the audience and then prompts them to answer her. Through the speech, Waters asks many questions (some rhetorical, some direct), all of which make the speech engaging even through a transcript:

“Who makes up this jury? [Waters is discussing a trial involving a White cop and a Black teenager that ended in a hung jury and mistrial] A lot of people were very, very concerned because there was only one black person on the jury. The city of Inglewood is majority minority, and majority African-American. How could this have happened? How could you get a jury with only one black, in a case where the defendants are African-American, in a city where it is majority minority and mostly black? How could this happen?”

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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08 march 2024, secretary-general's remarks at the observance of international women's day, antónio guterres.

Excellencies, friends,

It is a pleasure to join you today on International Women’s Day – to celebrate women around the world and all they have achieved in the fight for equality.

In communities across the globe, millions of women and girls are working to demand change, to combat stereotypes, and to make their voices heard.

Some are women’s rights activists.

All are human rights defenders.

They are creating a better world for everyone.

We stand with them today. We thank them. And we applaud all they have achieved.

But we also recognise that women and girls at the forefront of change may be ignored, reviled, and even targeted for attack.

Progress towards equality has been far too slow.

Around the world, women and girls continue to face rank discrimination and gross human rights violations and abuses.

A persistent epidemic of gender-based violence disgraces humanity.

And women’s unpaid care work is excluded from calculations of Gross Domestic Product and considered to have no financial value.

But the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the truth: women’s unpaid care work is the foundation of stable economies and societies. 

Even when they are paid for their work, women earn less than men. The gender pay gap is at least twenty percent and often more, depending on the country and the job sector.

Sectors dominated by women, like teaching and nursing, are underpaid across the board.

Politically, women remain under-represented and under-served.

At last year’s United Nations General Assembly, less than twelve per cent of speakers were women. Change is long overdue.  

Meanwhile, new technologies, which have huge potential to reduce inequalities, too often do the opposite – because of unequal access, baked-in bias, and online violence.

A global backlash against women’s rights is threatening, and in some cases reversing, progress in developing and developed countries alike. 

The most egregious example is Afghanistan, where women and girls have been barred from much of the education system, from employment outside the home, and from most public spaces. 

But we need to look no further than headlines of recent days. It is intolerable that over 4 million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation each year.

I am outraged by the parliamentary initiative in Gambia to legalize this horrific practice.

I strongly appeal for this proposal to be rejected.

Excellencies,

And the global crises we face are hitting women and girls hardest – from poverty and hunger to climate disasters, war and terror.

Over the past year we have heard horrific reports of the impact of conflict on women and girls around the world. This includes:

Testimonies of rape and trafficking in Sudan;

Accounts in the recent report by Pramila Patten – my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict– of sexual violence and indications of sexualised torture during the terror attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel;

And reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.

We have also witnessed maternity services crumbling in Gaza, where women and children make up the majority of the tens of thousands killed and injured.

At our current rate of change, full legal equality for women is some 300 years away.

So is the end of child marriage.

And by 2030, over 340 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty – some eighteen million more than men and boys.

That is an insult to women and girls.

And a brake on all our efforts to build a better world.

Gender equality is the strong foundation of the entire 2030 Agenda – from ending poverty to securing peace.

We must drastically up the pace of change.

That requires political focus. And it requires investment – our theme for this year’s International Women’s Day.

Those investments must go towards ending violence against women; improving women’s and girls’ access to education and skills; and increasing the number of women in leadership roles in the corporate sector, in government, in peacebuilding and in climate action. 

We need to provide resources for effective social protection systems and put a monetary value on care work.  

Governments should promote childcare policies that enable both mothers and fathers to take on paid work outside the home.

And we must put money into the women’s rights organisations fighting to dismantle stereotypes, challenge cultural norms, and ensure women and girls are heard.

I see three priority areas for action to make such investments a reality.

First, we must urgently increase the availability of affordable, long-term finance for sustainable development, and tackle the debt crisis suffocating many developing countries and their economies.

We are pushing for an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year in affordable, long-term finance for developing countries. Our proposal calls for action on debt for countries facing impossible repayment schedules.

Leaders endorsed the Stimulus at last year’s SDG Summit; I will be working with a small group of Heads of State to make it a reality.

I urge all countries to support these efforts. And to support reform of the international financial architecture at the Summit of the Future this year so that it meets the financing needs of developing countries that are essential for the promotion of gender equality.

Second, I urge governments to prioritise equality for women and girls.

I am pleased today to launch the United Nations System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan, which commits to placing women and girls at the centre of our work across the board.

We will support governments around the world to design and implement policies, budgets and investments and respond to the needs of women and girls.

Targeted programmes and quotas may be required to tackle baked-in bias and dismantle the obstacles to equality.  

I also urge Member States at the Summit of the Future to support our proposals for metrics that go beyond Gross Domestic Product.

GDP disregards invisible domestic labour. Complementary metrics provide a more comprehensive and balanced picture.

Third, we need to increase the number of women in leadership positions.

Women in positions of power can help to drive investment in policies and programmes that meet the needs of women and girls.

I am particularly proud that since early in my tenure we have equal numbers of women and men in senior management across the entire United Nations system – a first for our organisation.

And I urge Member States to look at what they can do to increase the number of women in delegations to the United Nations and at intergovernmental meetings.

Such investments and policies are not in favour of women; they are good for us all.

Equality is the bedrock of peaceful, prosperous societies.

And supporting women who want to enter formal labour markets increases growth, tax revenues and opportunities for all.

Equality is overdue.

To achieve it, we must match rhetoric with resources.

We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress, and build a better world for all.

And I thank you.

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5 Powerful speeches by women in the 21st century

This women's equality day, join us in celebrating some of the most powerful speeches by women..

We may only be two decades in, but the 21st century has seen monumental shifts regarding gender equality. Movements such as #metoo, global fights for abortion rights, and the Saudi Arabian women's driving ban are a few that have highlighted the issue.

When you think of great speeches in history, images of Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, and Barack Obama may spring forth. Due to ingrained biases, women have always needed to 'speak louder to have their voices heard'. Women's Equality Day, often referred to as Gender Equality Day, commemorates when Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the proclamation granting American women the right to vote . On this Women's Equality Day (26th August 2021), we celebrate powerful speeches by women on the world stage fighting for equal rights. 

Oprah Winfrey

While receiving an award for 'Outstanding Contributions to the World of Entertainment' at the 2018 Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey gave one of the most moving speeches by a woman at the awards. 

As someone born into poverty to a single mother who overcame discrimination with race and gender to succeed, she gave a rousing speech addressing the evolution of women's equality. Even more fitting, she was the first black woman to have received that award.

Key points of interest

[00:05:20] 

'In 1944, Recy Taylor was a young wife and a mother. She was just walking home from a church service she attended in Abbeville, Alabama, when she was abducted by six armed white men raped and left blindfolded by the side of the road coming home from church. They threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone. But her story was reported to the NAACP, where a young worker by the name of Rosa Parks became the lead investigator on her case'

[00:08:21] 

'So I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon. And when that new day finally dawns. It will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say me too again.'

Read the entire transcript here .

Frances McDormand

Upon receiving her 2nd Oscar in 2018, Frances McDormand's speech received a standing ovation after highlighting the integral role women have in Hollywood - both in front of and behind the camera. 

The 'mic drop' moment was the mention of the ' inclusion rider .' An inclusion rider is a clause actors and filmmakers can insert into their contracts to ensure an appropriate level of diversity in a cast, from women to people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.

Key points of interest: 

[00:03:16] 

'And now I want to get some perspective. If I may be so honored to have all the female nominees in every category stand with me in this room tonight. [...] OK, look around, everybody, look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed'

[00:04:15] 

'I have two words to leave with you tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Inclusion Rider.'

Read the whole speech here .

Emma Watson

From actress to activist, Emma Watson is an outspoken supporter of gender equality. In a passionate women's rights speech at the UN in 2014, she declared gender equality an issue for both males and females to advocate. She asserted that 'feminism' has almost become a dirty word and that it is down to the inadvertent feminists to strengthen the movement. 

She also talked about gender equality from a male perspective, highlighting mental health and gender stereotypes, demonstrating that men do not have gender equality either. 

Key points of interest:

[00:01:51] 

'The more I've spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain. It is that this has to stop. For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.'

[00:04:05] 

'I am from Britain. And I think it is right that I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and the decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights. No country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality.'

[00:08:35] 

'If men don't have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won't feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have to control, women won't have to be controlled. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive, both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.'

The entire transcript can be found here .

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is one of the leading women's rights activists globally and the youngest person (and first Pakistani) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. In her acceptance speech, she delivered a heartfelt message advocating a women's right to education. She sheds light on women's rights from a unique cultural point of view.

[00:03:39] 

'I have found that people describe me in many different ways. Some people call me the girl who was shot by the Taliban and some the girl who fought for her rights. [...] As far as I know, I'm just a committed and even stubborn person who wants to see every child getting quality education. Who wants to see women having equal rights and who wants peace in every corner of the world.'

Read the transcript in Trint .

Greta Thunberg

The youngest on our list, Greta Thunberg, is a name synonymous with activism. This is more of an honorable mention as her speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 focused on climate change rather than gender equality. However, even at the age of 16, and speaking in her non-native tongue, Thunburg faced gender-based bias following the speech. There was online backlash due to her emotional tone and age, proving that women's rights have a long way to go before equality is reached. 

Key point of interest:

[00:00:54] 

'You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is the money and fairy tales of his time of economic growth. How dare you?'

The speech transcript is here for you to read .

What's next for women's equality?

Thanks to these speeches by women, the topic of gender equality remains at the forefront of the public's mind. Having said that, there is still some way to go in the case of equal pay and gender stereotypes and other global issues. However, these speeches have given women a platform in which to make their voices heard. 

Trint is an employer committed to equality for both genders with a number of initiatives like our Women in Tech and Diversity and Inclusion groups. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to our employees. 

We used Trint to transcribe the MP4 files of these speeches, try it out for yourself .

Your free trial awaits, learn more about trint for enterprise.

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Remarks By The First Lady At Let Girls Learn Event Celebrating International Women’s Day

Union Market Washington, D.C.

12:18 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Wow!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Hey.  You guys good?  All right, rest yourselves.  We’ve got a lot to do.  

Hi, everyone.  It is a pleasure to be here with all of you on this International Women’s Day as we mark the first anniversary of Let Girls Learn.  And today, we want to celebrate all of the wonderful progress we’ve made and the momentum we’re seeing around girls’ education across the globe.

But before we get started, I just wanted to briefly express my sadness over the passing of former First Lady Nancy Reagan.  Mrs. Reagan was a woman of incredible strength and grace, and she was a passionate advocate for so many important issues.  Through the example she set, both during her time in the White House and beyond, Mrs. Reagan reminded us of the importance of women’s leadership at every level of our society.

And on a personal note, Mrs. Reagan also understood the value of mentoring.  She warmly and willingly offered advice and encouragement to me as I settled into my role as First Lady.  And I am so grateful for her kindness and generosity to me and my family over the years, and I hope that our continued work to educate girls worldwide is a fitting tribute to her legacy.  (Applause.)  

So back to the business at hand.  I have to start by thanking Ambassador Power –- another strong woman leader, as you heard -- for that wonderful, kind, generous introduction, but more importantly, for her extraordinary work to promote human dignity, human rights across the globe.  We are lucky to have someone like her in this administration, and the President and I are very lucky to have her as a friend.  (Applause.)      I also want to recognize our outstanding Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Cathy Russell, and her -- yes -- (applause) -- and her entire team at the State Department for hosting this event and for their tremendous work on girls’ education and so many other critical issues.  I’m thankful to have them as partners in this effort.

But most of all, I want to thank all of you for your tremendous leadership on behalf of girls around the world.  Some of you have been with us since the day we launched Let Girls Learn, some of you have been working on girls’ education for decades, and some of you are students who will be leading the way on this issue in years to come.  And I’m so proud that you all are here.  Give yourselves a round of applause.  Our young people!  (Applause.)  

And I know that each of us here today has a story like Samantha shared about how we first got engaged in this issue –- the moment our heart first broke or we felt that first flare of outrage when we realized that 62 million girls worldwide –- girls who are just as smart and hard-working as we are -– aren’t getting the opportunities that we sometimes take for granted.  

For me, it was the drumbeat of horrifying stories:  Malala Yousafzai shot in the head by terrorists just for speaking the simple truth that girls should to go school.  More than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped from their school dormitory by a terrorist group determined to keep them from getting an education –- grown men trying to snuff out the aspirations of young girls.  Little girls being brutally assaulted on their way to school, being forced to marry and bear children when they’re barely even teenagers.  Girls in every corner of the globe facing grave danger simply because they were full and equal human beings -- that’s what they decided -- worthy of developing their boundless potential.  

And the more I traveled and met with girls and learned from experts about this issue, the more I realized that the barriers to girls’ education isn’t just resources.  It’s not just about access to scholarships or transportation or school bathrooms.  It’s also about attitudes and beliefs -– the belief that girls simply aren’t worthy of an education; that women should have no role outside the home; that their bodies aren’t their own, their minds don’t really matter, and their voices simply shouldn’t be heard.

And like many of you, as a woman, I take all of this personally.  While I’m thankful that I’ve never faced anything like the horrors that many of these girls endure, like most women, I know how it feels to be overlooked, to be underestimated, to have someone only half listen to your ideas at a meeting -- to see them turn to the man next to you, the man you supervise, and assume he’s in charge -- or to experience those whistles and taunts as you walk down the street.

And I’ve seen how these issues play out not just on a personal level, but on a national level in our laws and policies. You see, in my lifetime -– and I’m not that old -– it was perfectly legal for employers to discriminate against women.  In my lifetime, women were not legally allowed to make fundamental decisions about their bodies –- and practically speaking, many still can’t.  In my lifetime, domestic violence was seen as a private matter between a man and his wife rather than as the horrific crime that it is.  

And today, it is so easy to take for granted all the progress we’ve made on these kinds of issues.  But the fact is that right now, today, so many of these rights are under threat from all sides, always at risk of being rolled back if we let our guard down for a single minute.  

These issues aren’t settled.  These freedoms that we take for granted aren’t guaranteed in stone.  And they certainly didn’t just come down to us as a gift from the heavens.  No, these rights were secured through long, hard battles waged by women and men who marched, and protested, and made their voices heard in courtrooms and boardrooms and voting booths and the halls of Congress.

And make no mistake about it, education was central to every last one of those efforts.  The ability to read, write, and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in that door and take your seat at that table -- all of that starts with education.  And trust me, girls around the world, they understand this.  They feel it in their bones, and they will do whatever it takes to get that education.  

I’ve seen it time and time again –- girls in Senegal studying at rickety desks in bare concrete classrooms raising their hands so hard they’re almost falling out of their chairs.  Girls in Cambodia who wake up hours before dawn, ride their bikes for miles just to get to school.  Bangladeshi immigrant girls in the United Kingdom who study for hours every night and proudly wear their head scarves everywhere they go, resolutely ignoring those who would demean their religion.  

These girls risk everything -– the rejection of their communities, the violation of their bodies -– everything, just to go to school each day.  And then here I show up with a hoard of international reporters shoving microphones in their faces -- these girls don’t blink.  They stand up.  They look straight into those cameras and they proudly explain who they want to be –- doctors and teachers, forces for change in their countries.

You see, they know that education is their only path to self-sufficiency.  It is their only chance to shape their own fate rather than having the limits of their lives dictated to them by others.  And I’m passionate about this because I truly see myself in these girls -– in their hunger, in their burning determination to rise above their circumstances and reach for something more.  And I know that many of you do, too.

And let’s be clear, this issue isn’t just personal to women.  I have met countless men who learn about the plight of girls around the world, and they look into the eyes of their daughters and wives and mothers -– women they deeply respect and love -– and this issue becomes personal for them, too.  So it’s not surprising that over the past year since we launched Let Girls Learn, we have been overwhelmed by the response we’ve received.  

This issue is truly resonating as folks in every sector are stepping up to take action on behalf of these girls around the world.  From day one, the U.S. government has been leading the way with State, USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, investing hundreds of millions of dollars.  They’re providing scholarships for girls in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  They’re doing leadership training for girls in Afghanistan.  They’re building school bathrooms for girls in El Salvador.  They’re taking on female genital mutilation in Guinea, forced child marriage in Bangladesh.  

Let Girls Learn also has a strong partner in the American Peace Corps.  Volunteers are now running more than 100 girls’ education projects in 22 countries -– girls’ mentorship programs, girls’ leadership camps, and so much more.  

And through Let Girls Learn, dozens of major companies and organizations have come forward to support this work, including Lyft, Jet Blue, Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Starwood Hotels -- I could go on and on -- Alex and Ani.  I’ve got my bracelets on.  (Laughter.)  They’re donating hundreds of thousands of dollars.  They’re creating new products –- backpacks and charm bracelets and T-Shirts -– to raise money and awareness.  They’re promoting Let Girls Learn in their advertisements, their in-flight magazines, their hotel room videos.  They’re doing it all.  The Girl Scouts are getting in on the action as well by creating a Global Action badge that girls can earn by learning about girls’ education.  

And it’s not just corporations and organizations who are getting engaged on this issue.  Folks of all ages and all walks of life are stepping up, as well.  More than 1,600 people in nearly all 50 states have donated money to Let Girls Learn Peace Corps projects.  Our #62MillionGirls hashtag was the number-one hashtag in the U.S., with people across the country talking about the power of education.  And we’ll be launching the next phase of this social media campaign next week at South by Southwest.

And we haven’t just inspired folks here in the United States.  Our hashtag was the number-three hashtag globally, with girls around the world tweeting their support for Let Girls Learn.  And countries like Japan, the UK, South Korea have joined this effort as well, investing more than half a billion dollars in girls’ education.  And at this year’s U.N. General Assembly, nearly 200 countries agreed to make adolescent girls’ education a top priority in the new Global Goals.  

And today, just 12 months after we launched Let Girls Learn, we’re seeing the impact of these efforts all around the world.  We see it in the story of a girl named Fiker from Ethiopia who, at the age of 13, found out that her parents were planning to marry her off to a man she’d never met.  But Fiker had learned about the dangers of early marriage from a USAID program she was involved in, so she refused to go through with the marriage.  She went on to graduate first in her entire sixth-grade class.

We see the impact of our work in the story of a young woman named Nourhan in Egypt.  When Nourhan got accepted to a girls’ science and technology boarding school supported by USAID, of course she was hesitant to leave home.  But she took the plunge, and today, she’s an avid coder.  And when speaking about her plans for the future, she says, “I dream of being the youngest Nobel Prize winner for Nuclear Physics.”

And we’re seeing the impact of our efforts not just on girls worldwide, but on young people right here at home.  Kids across the U.S. are learning about these girls and they’re embracing this issue as their own.  Students at a middle school in California raised $1,500 for Let Girls Learn by selling popsicles and hot chocolate.  At a school in Wisconsin, students raised $594 from their friends and families.  As part of their campaign, they created signs to raise awareness, and one of these signs said that “33 million fewer girls than boys are in primary school worldwide.”  They said, “We’re in this together.  Together we [can] make a difference.”  

See, even young kids get it.  We’re in this together.  Because these girls are our girls.  They are us.  They each have the spark of something extraordinary inside of them just like our daughters –- and our sons -– and their fate is very much our responsibility.  

And in the coming months, we’re going to be expanding our call to action to support these girls.  We are going to be engaging even more people -– moms and dads, faith and youth organizations, and young people like so many of you.  Because there is so much that students like you can do to make a real difference on girls’ education.

You can study this issue and organize your classmates to take action.  You can study or volunteer abroad and be on the front lines educating girls.  After you graduate from college, you can even join the Peace Corps and run your own girls’ education project.  Or if you get out there and get a job, like your parents may want you to -- (laughter) -- you can get your company involved in Let Girls Learn.  That’s how Lyft got involved, from one of our fellow young people who worked in this administration and now works at Lyft.  That kind of commitment that companies are announcing today, you can be a part of making it happen.

Every single one of us has a role to play on this issue.  And you can start today by going to LetGirlsLearn.gov and find out how to get involved right now.  No contribution is too small, as you can see, because in the end, that’s how we’re going to solve this problem –- one girl, one school, one village at a time, with folks like all of you -- particularly our young people -- leading the way.

And no, it will not be easy.  And it will not be quick.  But make no mistake about it, we can do this.  If we can make this kind of project -- progress in just a year -- in just a year -- if we keep putting in this effort and this investment that these girls deserve, we can get this done.  I know we are all up to the task.  I know we are.  I see it in your eyes.  I know you feel that burning sensation, that sense of unfairness.  Turn that into action.  Turn that passion into something real.  Those girls will be so grateful, because they are all of us.  They are my daughters, and they are you.

So I want to close by thanking all of you once again for everything you have done in this year, and everything we will continue to do together.  And I do look forward to continuing our work together in the months and years to come.  And I cannot wait to see all the doors we will open, all the fortunes we -- and futures we transform for girls across the globe.

So you guys ready to get to work?  (Applause.)  You think we can get this done?  (Applause.)  All right.  Thank you all so much.  God bless.  (Applause.) 

END  12:37 P.M.

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Women’s Equality Day – August 26, 2024

The right to vote, the cornerstone of democracy, belongs to all citizens — but this wasn’t always the case. Until recently, most countries denied voting rights to half of their population: women. To claim their voice, women began agitating for the right to vote in the early 19th century. In the U.S., decisions about who could vote were left up to the states. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, ensures voting rights for everyone regardless of gender. Today, Women’s Equality Day celebrates the achievements of women’s rights activists and reminds us of the unique daily struggles that women face. To make sure women are not oppressed by anyone we need to empower them with education and to support their education they require funds that can help build a base for their strong future.

When is Women’s Equality Day 2024?

The continuous struggle for women's participation and equality in all spheres of life and society is observed on Women’s Equality Day on August 26.

History of Women’s Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day, celebrated every August 26, commemorates the passage of women’s suffrage in the U.S. and reminds us of the hurdles overcome by the heroic women who faced violence and discrimination to propel the women’s movement forward.

In the early 19th century, American women, who generally couldn’t inherit property and made half of a man’s wages in any available jobs, began organizing to demand political rights and representation.

By the early 1900s, several countries including Finland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom had legalized voting for women as the movement continued to sweep across the world. In the U.S., the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was first introduced in 1878, but it failed to gain traction. It wasn’t until women’s involvement in the World War I effort made their contributions painfully obvious that women’s suffrage finally gained enough support. Women’s rights groups pointed out the hypocrisy of fighting for democracy in Europe while denying it to half of the American citizens at home.

Because a Constitutional amendment requires approval from two-thirds of the states, 36 of them had to ratify the 19th Amendment before its passage. The deciding vote in the Tennessee legislature came from Harry T. Burn, a young state representative whose mother’s plea to support the amendment became a deciding factor in his vote (which he switched at the last minute).

Women aren’t done fighting for equal rights. Today, the wage gap between men and women still impacts women’s economic power, and gender-based discrimination still plagues workplaces and business transactions.

To remind us of the struggles of the past, present, and future, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1971.

Women’s Equality Day timeline

The first women's rights convention organized by women, including suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, is held at Seneca Falls, New York, sparking the movement that leads to the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Margaret Sanger opens America's first birth control clinic in Brooklyn — Sanger's efforts led to the creation of today's Planned Parenthood.

The U.S. Congress adopts the 19th Amendment, also known as the 'Susan B. Anthony Amendment,' giving women the right to vote.

Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman and second pilot ever to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic.

Black seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, helping to launch the civil rights movement.

In a historic decision in the Roe v. Wade case, the U.S. Supreme Court affirms women's constitutional right to abortion.

Flying on the Space Shuttle Challenger, Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first woman and first woman-of-color vice president of the United States.

Traditions of the Day

Women’s Equality Day is all about uplifting and empowering women, and marveling at how far women have progressed, defying all odds and oppression. General traditions include men and women expressing gratitude to influential women in their lives, supporting local businesses run by women, and celebrating womanhood with your girl gang and special ladies.

Funds are raised for charities and organizations that support women’s empowerment. Prominent women are featured guest speakers on different virtual and live platforms. 

Success stories are shared on social media under the hashtag #WomensEqualityDay. Issues females face are discussed and solutions and assistance are provided by the online community.

By The Numbers 

18 – the number of countries where husbands can legally prevent their wives from working.

39 – the number of countries where sons and daughters do not share equal inheritance rights.

1 in 5 – women and girls have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse by a partner.

23.7% – the percentage of women representation in national parliaments. 

108 – the number of years it will take to bridge the gender gap. 

6 – the number of countries that give women equal work rights as men. 

2.24 – the number of men for every female character in films.

47% – the percentage of the increased likelihood for women to suffer severe injuries in car crashes because safety features are designed for men. 

13% – the percentage of women globally who are agricultural landholders. 

40% – the percentage drop in girls getting married in childhood in Southern Asia since 2000.

Women’s Equality Day FAQ s

When was the first women’s equality day.

The U.S. Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1973 in order to commemorate the 19th Amendment.

How do you celebrate Women’s Equality Day at work?

Ways to celebrate Women’s Equality Day at work include giving cards to the women in your office, taking a moment to acknowledge the hard work they do, and throwing a girls’ night happy hour.

Why was the 19th Amendment passed?

Congress passed the 19th Amendment as a result of the hard work and dedication put in by the women’s suffrage movement.

Women’s Equality Day Activities

Thank the women in your life.

We all depend on hardworking women — moms, grandmas, partners, sisters, and friends. Take some time today to thank them for all the physical and emotional labor they do for others!

Support women-owned companies

Use your consumer power to support female entrepreneurs. You can find lists of women-owned businesses on the Small Business Administration’s website or by reaching out to your local chamber of commerce.

Register to vote

Women and their allies fought for decades to win the right to vote. Do your part to honor their sacrifices by making sure you’re registered to vote in your community.

5 Fascinating Facts About Women In The Military

Women in combat.

Women have long played important non-combat roles in the U.S. military in medical and operational positions, but combat positions were only opened to women in 2013.

Women often fought disguised as men

In the 1700s and 1800s, particularly during the Civil War, more than a few women enlisted in the army disguised as men.

There is only one female Medal of Honor recipient

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a contract surgeon for the Union, spent time as a Confederate POW and was awarded a Medal of Honor for her efforts — to date, she is still the only female recipient of the military's highest award.

Women made important WWII contributions

More than 400,000 women served in World War II as nurses, pilots, ambulance drivers, and in other important ancillary roles.

Military maternity wear

Women weren't always allowed to continue serving if they became pregnant but, today, all branches of the military offer maternity uniforms for service members who are expecting.

Why We Love Women’s Equality Day

It gives us an opportunity to learn.

Take some time on Women’s Equality Day to brush up on your women’s history and learn about the complicated and fascinating history of women’s rights in the U.S. and internationally.

It reminds us to show gratitude

It’s not always easy to remember to thank those who do so much for us. Use Women’s Equality Day as a reminder to do something meaningful for the important women in your life. 

It reminds us of how far we have to go

Despite many advances in the last century and a half, women in the U.S. and around the world still face professional obstacles, domestic violence, and other barriers to their well-being and success.

Women’s Equality Day dates

Women’s equality day related holidays.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

International Women's Day

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

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• Eulogy Speech

Speech Women's Equality Day

I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to speak with you today on this occasion of Women's Equality Day. This is an opportunity to honor one of the most significant events in the history of our nation - women receiving the right to vote. Women's suffrage was a huge step in the movement for women's equality.

In the words of Maureen Reagan, daughter of president Ronald Reagan, "I will feel equality has arrived when we can elect to office women who are as incompetent as some of the men who are already there." Women's Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Before that, it's hard to imagine, but women could not participate in one of the most basic freedoms we have. It's the right to make your voice heard. Half of the people in our nation were silenced and not allowed to participate in making decisions for our democracy. It's truly shocking to imagine today.

Before we get into that, I want to make it a little more realistic for all of us sitting here. I want to go back to the beginnings of our nation and review who was allowed to vote historically. Do you think you were included? Many of us, I would even say most of us, would not have been allowed to vote in the early days when we were a young nation still figuring out how we would build our democracy. If you will, I ask you to play along with me for a few minutes as we explore who would have been allowed to vote.

(NOTE TO SPEAKER - AT THIS POINT, YOU MAY ASK YOUR AUDIENCE TO PARTICIPATE BY STANDING OR BY RAISING THEIR HANDS OR SIMPLY READ THEM THE INFORMATION).

Everyone please put your hands up. Go ahead and put them up high so we can see. We're going to pretend the people here today are going to elect the next president, and the only ones allowed to vote are the people who could have voted in early America. Let's get started.

If you are younger than twenty one, please put your hand down. You would not be able to vote.

If you are a woman, please put your hand down. You would not have been allowed to vote.

If you are of any other racial background other than white, please put down your hand. You would not be allowed to vote.

If you do not own the land your home stands on, and I don't mean if the bank owns it! If you personally do not own land, please put your hand down. You would not be allowed to vote.

Finally, if you have ever been judged criminally insane, you can put your hand down. (PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER) You would not be allowed to vote.

Thank you, you can all put your hands down. Only the people with their hands up until the end could have voted if we were in early America - Only white, wealthy males over 21. In fact, in the first election at Jamestown, only six percent of the people were allowed to vote! Imagine if that was still the case in America today - if six percent of the population decided our fate and ninety four percent of the citizens were excluded from voting. We would have a very different country.

Thank goodness that's not the case. America has gotten greater with time as we have extended the vote to more people and recognized that freedom and inclusion are part of our strength. But women's right to vote didn't come easily, just like drastic social change never comes easily. The women's suffrage movement had its formal beginnings in the first women's rights convention in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York. Anyone who has read about the women's rights movement knows the names of Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth, but we must remember that while a movement may be led by a few, it is made up of many.

Social change comes like a great rising wave on the ocean - powerful, unyielding, sweeping history along in its path. Great social change comes about because of a vast movement of many, courageous people, both men and women, who refused to back down. Many of their names are lost to history, but we will never forget their actions. They were the people who marched day after day. Despite the fear of violence or verbal attacks, they returned again and again to continue fighting. They were women who were arrested and went to prison willingly to stand up for what they believed in, and once there, went on hunger strikes and endured beatings and forced feedings. They were the men who were mocked and laughed at when they spoke to other men of the need for women's equality. They were the women who fought for their daughters' right to vote and to be treated like an equal citizen.

All of these people are responsible for the changes to women's rights that made our country stronger, greater, and gave more meaning to the words "one nation undivided". It is in moments like that, when we as a nation were challenged by change when we become truly great. We chose to embrace the change and grow as a people because it reflected our true values of respect for equality and the right for everyone's voice to be heard.

We must remember today that although we have come a long way towards equality, there is still much to be done. Today should remind us to support women's struggles for equality throughout everyday life - from the glass ceilings in our workplaces to the evolving roles in the home; from opportunities on the sports field to female leadership in upper echelon boardrooms; from the images representing women in videos and magazines to the way women view themselves; from empowering young mothers to supporting women preparing to retire; from encouraging greater female involvement in the science and technology fields to promoting women's campaigns for public office and leadership in government institutions. As long as women are underrepresented or misrepresented in these places and other places in our society, there is still work to be done. And as long as women around the world fight for equal rights, the struggle continues.

I'd like to close with a thought from a modern day leader of the women's rights movement, Malala Yousafzai. Malala is the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for fighting for girls' right to access education. She is also the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel prize.

Malala said, "I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated."

We are fortunate to live in a place where women have a voice and that voice is counted in our democratic process. That opportunity didn't come free, and many struggled for years in order to get that right. Many around the world still struggle to secure that right for themselves and for their daughters. As we celebrate today, remember those women who still struggle for their voices to be heard and for their right to be treated with dignity.

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International Women's Day Speech In English For Students

Celebrating Women, whether professionally or personally, is a sense of commitment to each and every Woman in one's life. Every year on March 8, International Women's Day is commemorated. In much of the country, the Day has been declared a National holiday. Women from all walks of life gather together around the country, spanning cultural and ethnic divides, to commemorate their battle for peace, justice, equality, and progress. International Women's Day is all about valuing oneself and realising one's full potential. Aside from that, Women need to summon the fortitude to overcome all obstacles in all areas of life in order to achieve significant progress. It is a common misconception in society that Women's problems are unimportant.

Vedantu salutes all the Women out there who are doing wonders all around the Globe and making their Nation proud. Vedantu provides one of the top-notch speeches and essays with the exact formal format in a very comfortable language. Students or anyone who wants to know about International Women’s Day or preparing to deliver a speech on the occasion of International Women’s Day can refer to the content from Vedantu.com.

International Women's Day Speech in English For Students

An Organizer, Administrative Leader, Director, Recreator, Partner, Daughter, Health Officer, Teacher, an Artist- a Woman has various roles to play in her life. To celebrate the importance and significance of Women in every person’s life every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March. Women’s Day recognizes and celebrates Women in every field. A Woman has a positive mind and a fierce nature to excel in their respective fields. 

A Women's Day speech in English of 500 words and a short speech on Women's Day of 200 words are given below. 

Women's Day Speech

Greetings to everyone present here. As we all know we are here to celebrate the presence of Women in society and to celebrate their achievements, to celebrate International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March every year around the world and it’s the Day dedicated to celebrating Women’s achievements in various Social, Political, and Cultural Fields. 

You must be wondering why Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March? Well, there is a brief History around it that goes back 109 years. It was in 1909 when a political party of America celebrated 15,000 Women who protested against various issues like low pay scale, equal opportunities, and lack of voting rights in New York city. Originally it was called National Women’s Day and as the news spread annual celebration was done across the world but it was Russia who set the March 8th date. It was in 1975 that the United Nation recognized International Women’s Day and from 1996 International Women’s Day became a theme to celebrate Women in society. 

Now as we know when and who established it now naturally the next question that arises is what is the significance of Women’s Day?. The main aim of Women’s Day is to celebrate the achievements of Women in various fields and the roles they play which could be that they are an Artist, a Teacher, an Administrator, a Politician, or Scientist. It is also important to raise awareness about Women’s rights and gender parity. We can all agree that no country has achieved gender equality yet there are few places where the concept of gender equality does not even exist. Around the world, Women are not given equal opportunities. There are countries where they are denied to raise a point about their lives and how they are treated. Girl child abuse is common in many places where many crimes like child marriages, gender-based are done and all this discrimination a Woman faces is on the basis of one chromosome. 

For ages, men have had more privileges in every aspect of life in society, which could be good pay scale, social status, or voting rights percentage but now we are living in the 21st century and the world is slowly moving towards gender balance. It’s moving towards equality for both men and Women which could include equal pay scale, social status, and equal voting rights for Women. This change is necessary and it is required around the world because we all are humans and equal opportunities and respect should be given to everyone. 

So it is important to have a Day that reaches out and helps in solving all the discriminations that are happening against Women. As we all know how important Women are. They play various roles which could be a caring mother, a daughter, and so on. On this Day, it’s important to show the Women in your life how much you care about them and how much you love them. 

Educational institutions are now open to celebrate Women’s Day. It’s a sign of progress and they are teaching students to honor and respect a Woman. 

I want to conclude my speech by saying that International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in social, cultural, and political fields. The Day formed by Women helps in bringing attention towards the forgotten Women’s rights and gender parity in a few places around the world. It should be considered a Day where everyone acknowledges the value and the importance of Women in our lives and all around the world. Thank you. 

Short Speech on Women's Day

We are here to celebrate the presence of Women in society and to celebrate their achievements. We are here to celebrate International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March every year around the world. It is considered to be an important point in the movement of Women’s rights. It is the Day when Women in our lives are recognized for their achievements in their respective fields, which could be an Artist, a Teacher, in Health Care, or an Administrative Leader. 

Celebration of Women’s Day totally ranges from being a public holiday in countries like Afghanistan to being a protest against the injustice done on Women in a few places. To summarize. It’s the Day to celebrate Womanhood around the world. 

As we all know there are few countries where Women are not given equal opportunities and their only role is considered to take care of the house. However, this needs to change because every Woman deserves to shine and equal opportunity should be given to a Woman as it’s given to a Man. 

For ages, Men have had more privileges in every aspect of life in a society which could be pay scale, social status, or voting rights percentage. We are living in the 21st century and the world is slowly moving towards gender balance. It’s moving towards equality for both men and Women which could include equal pay scale, social status, and equal voting rights for Women. This change is necessary and it is required around the world because we all are humans and equal opportunities and respect should be given to everyone. 

I want to conclude my speech by saying that International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of Women in social, cultural, and political fields. The Day formed by Women helps in bringing attention towards the forgotten Women’s rights and gender parity in few places around the world. It should be considered a Day where everyone acknowledges the value and the importance of Women in our lives and all around the world. 

 10 Lines on International Women's Day Speech

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March every year around the world.

It’s the Day dedicated to celebrating Women’s achievements in various social, political, and cultural fields.

The history of why Women’s Day is celebrated goes back to 109 years.  

In 1909 when a sociopolitical party of America celebrated 15,000 Women who protested against various issues like low pay scale, equal opportunities, and lack of voting rights in New york city.

In 1975 the United Nations recognized International Women’s Day and from 1996 International Women’s Day became a theme to celebrate Women in society. 

It is also important to raise awareness about Women’s rights and gender parity.

Female foeticide, child marriage, not giving oppurtunities to study, Child abuse, and rapes are the crimes committed against girl child and Women. 

The Day formed by Women helps in bringing attention towards the forgotten Women’s rights and gender parity in few places around the world. 

It is important to have a Day that reaches out and helps in solving all the discriminations that are happening against Women.

Women’s Day should be considered a Day where everyone acknowledges the value and the importance of Women in our lives and all around the world.  

About Women Empowerment

Empowering Women is a big responsibility, but it's also vital for gender equality. Furthermore, society benefits when Women are treated with respect and are not treated as second-class citizens. Women used to be limited in their houses and were not allowed to leave the house for employment before, but now things have drastically changed.

Their only source of income comes from their domestic obligations. However, civilization has evolved throughout time. Furthermore, this generation has high regard for Women and places a high value on them.

In many sectors, Women are now offered equal opportunities at work and are permitted to compete with, and sometimes even outperform, males. Women have begun to recognise their skills and abilities, and they are ready to walk out of their homes and contribute to the prosperity of their families and society as a whole.

Women are undoubtedly turning the world's attention to them. Also, it was previously impossible, but it is now doable, and they are doing so now. Women are achieving incredible heights and even travelling to space, as can be seen.

Furthermore, they are joining every field and succeeding in all of them, demonstrating their abilities. The most efficient approach to enhance communities, corporations, and countries is for Women to participate.

Furthermore, Women's participation strengthens peace accords, strengthens society, and makes economies more dynamic.

FAQs on International Women's Day Speech

1. How to conclude an International Women’s Day speech in a concise manner?

Make a solid first impression.

This suggestion may be used in any speech, not just those for Women's Day. A great introduction interests the listener and provides them with a sense of your speech's direction. You can try several starting techniques depending on the circumstances of your speech.

Include facts to back up your claims.

When crafting a speech about gender equality in school, work, and other areas, you should include relevant facts. Being as informative as possible is usually a good idea. This demonstrates that you completed your homework and are thus credible.

Keep an eye on the structure.

The structure of a speech is quite important. Unlike something written, your audience won't be able to go back to what you said if they get lost.

2. Why is Women's Day celebrated?

International Women's Day is a time to celebrate progress toward gender equality and Women's empowerment, as well as to critically reflect on those achievements and seek more momentum toward gender equality throughout the world. It's a Day to celebrate Women's outstanding achievements and to unite as a force to advance gender equality throughout the world. Empowering Women is a big responsibility, but it's also vital for gender equality. Furthermore, society benefits when Women are treated with respect and are not treated as second-class citizens. Women used to be limited in their houses and were not allowed to leave the house for employment.

3. When is Women's Day celebrated? 

On March 8th, we commemorate International Women's Day around the world to highlight Women's accomplishments in numerous sectors. This event honours the achievements of female individuals who have excelled in their respective disciplines. Women have undoubtedly contributed greatly to the well-being of society and the country since then. Moreover, Women's Day holds a great deal of significance, and it has become a yearly tradition. Furthermore, this commemoration is a show of respect, love, and concern for Women in our lives and in society.

In addition, Women's Day is also being observed in schools and universities. This will teach respect and care for Women in the minds of future generations, beginning with their youth.

4. How did Women’s Day come into consideration?

International Women's Day originated from the efforts of labor organizations across North America and Europe at the start of the twentieth century. The Socialist Party of America established the inaugural National Woman's Day on February 28, 1909, in remembrance of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, during which Women protested against poor working conditions. On the final Sunday in February in 1917, Russian Women opted to protest and strike under the slogan "Bread and Peace" (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Their campaign eventually resulted in the implementation of Women's suffrage in Russia.

5. How was International Women’s Day adopted by the United Nations?

The United Nations Charter became the first International accord to recognize the ideal of gender equality in 1945. In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations commemorated the first official International Women's Day on March 8th. Two years later, in December 1977, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace, to be marked by the Member States on any day of the year in line with their historical and national traditions.

Speech: Gender equality – just, prudent, and essential for everything we all aspire to

Closing remarks by un under-secretary-general and un women executive director sima bahous to the 68th session of the commission on the status of women, un headquarters, 27 march 2024..

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[As delivered.]

You have arrived at Agreed Conclusions for CSW68 [the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women] —congratulations! As the world was watching, you showed the very best of the multilateral system, and you came together to advance critical normative work for women and girls everywhere. You have recognized the inequalities that impact the lives of women and girls living in poverty and the solutions we have and we need to address them.

And you agreed that these inequalities do not define us, but that we are defined by wanting to urgently overcome them.

You adopted robust Agreed Conclusions , a blueprint that envisages a world with greater financial inclusion, increased spending on social protection, increased stability, equal opportunities, and great hope, rights, and freedoms for women and girls everywhere. A world that will no longer accept that one in ten women lives in poverty. A world that will accelerate the investment in women and girls and that urgently pursues the realization of the fundamental rights of all women and girls to live in peace and prosperity everywhere.

This is a special moment. I thank you all for your dedication and determination to bring this CSW68 to a successful close.

I thank His Excellency Ambassador Antonio Manuel Revilla Lagdameo of the Philippines for his able leadership as Chair of the Commission, together with the very able Vice Chairs, their Excellencies Ms. Yoka Brandt of the Netherlands, Ms. María Florencia González of Argentina, Mr. Māris Burbergs of Latvia, and Ms. Dúnia Eloisa Pires do Canto from Cabo Verde.

A special deep appreciation goes to Her Excellency Ms. Yoka Brandt of the Netherlands for her most skilful facilitation. Her Excellency, you would agree, shepherded you with grace and determination to reach the Agreed Conclusions. I also would like to thank her able team, in particular Robin De Vogel, for their support.

The Agreed Conclusions will only have value in as much as their implementation in countries makes a difference in the lives of women and girls, and in as much as they contribute to accelerating progress on the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] . We are a mere six years away from 2030. Gender equality remains our best chance to reach them.

I hope that you will use the Agreed Conclusions as you discuss the Pact for the Future , and that you will be bold and ambitious in advancing them, as we head to the Summit of the Future in September, to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025, and, of course, the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action next year.

This year’s CSW had two heads of state, three vice-presidents, and more than 100 ministers in attendance. Nearly 4,000 delegates in total contributed to the different deliberations.

We had a record number of close to 5,000 civil society representatives, the second highest number we have ever recorded. We saw more than 1,000 side events and parallel events. Partners came together to share experiences and dreams, and also to recommit.

And we benefitted from the creativity, energy, and substantive contributions from the youth delegates, including adolescent girls, who brought a fresh perspective to this year’s CSW . Upholding the Youth Forum and youth space is integral to our work here, which should be strengthened as part of the official Programme of Work of this Commission.

We also welcomed the adoption of the Resolution on women, the girl child, and HIV and AIDS , led by SADC [the Southern African Development Community], and commend Member States’ commitment to increase investment in gender equality and the empowerment of women in the HIV response.

It is not my wish to dampen this moment. Yet, in a world of cascading crises, de-democratization, gender equality backlash, and restricted civic spaces, women and girls will continue to be disproportionately impacted.

It makes the work you have done here all the more important.

I opened this CSW calling for a ceasefire in Gaza . I close it by reiterating this call and the call of the Security Council two days ago, for an immediate ceasefire, unhindered access to humanitarian assistance, the release of all hostages, and for peace. Sustainable, just peace for all women and girls everywhere must be our collective priority. In Gaza, in Sudan, in Haiti, in Ukraine, and elsewhere in the world.

UN Women stands with every woman and girl everywhere who is facing the scourge and the consequences of war and conflict.

We stand with all women peacebuilders, negotiators, human rights defenders who continue to pursue justice for women and girls—often at high personal cost.

As we close this session, we begin to turn our attention to next year when you will discuss 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action .

The scale of our ambitions, your ambitions for Beijing plus 30, must match the scale of our and your responsibility to achieve equality for every woman and girl, in all their diversity, not in 300 years, not in 100 years, not in 50 years, but urgently—now. There is much work to be done and much reward in doing it.

I look forward to working with the new CSW Bureau who will take this forward.

So, let us leave this room as collective champions for gender equality. Let us find new ways to do more, together, to accelerate progress and strengthen our partnerships.

And let us make the case, powerfully, for equality. Let the world hear what we have asserted over the past two weeks: that gender equality is just and prudent, and essential for everything we all aspire to.

I thank you.

• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Executive Director
• Commission on the Status of Women
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Financing for gender equality
• Women’s rights
• Economic empowerment
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Governance and national planning
• Human rights
• Intergovernmental processes
• UN Women administration

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How the Welsh Government’s attempt to champion equality backfired

Proposals to ensure half of all candidates for elections in the Senedd are female may be illegal as they don’t define what a woman is

In the seemingly ever-desperate competition between public bodies to demonstrate how “equality” is at the forefront of their priorities, the Welsh Labour administration appears to have got itself into some bother.

What might seem, at first glance, to be a well-meaning attempt by Vaughan Gething ’s administration to champion diversity in politics and create a fairer society, might actually be a breach of equality laws.

In an extraordinary move, John Kirkpatrick, the interim commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has said proposals to create 50 per cent female shortlists for elections in a bid to boost the numbers of women in the Senedd may be illegal under the 2010 Equality Act, as they do not define what a woman is , and use the word gender, not sex.

“The Welsh Government appears to be trying to introduce gender self-ID by the back door,” said Maya Forstater, the chief executive of Sex Matters, a human rights charity that campaigns for clarity on sex in law, policy and language.

“Positive action can be lawful if it is to enable or encourage participation by groups sharing a protected characteristic where it is disproportionately low. But people who ‘identify as women’ aren’t such a group: some really are women – female people – whereas others are men.”

The Bill – called the Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) – is part of a package of reforms that are seeking to increase the number of politicians in the chamber and to “ensure the Senedd is broadly representative of the gender make-up of the population”.

It sets out that – come 2026, when Wales potentially moves to a proportional representation system for Senedd elections – 50 per cent of those nominated from each party should be women.

It also stipulates that the first person nominated on each list should be a woman. And the planned proposals will see the Senedd rise from 60 to 96 politicians, also in 2026. Plaid Cymru and campaign groups such as Women’s Equality Network Wales have got fully behind the Bill, the latter describing it as a “much-needed policy” to ensure politicians are “gender-balanced” with meaningful representation from marginalised communities. And a spokesman for the Senedd pointed out that quotas used in other countries in Europe, such as Ireland, have seen the number of women in parliament rapidly increase.

But the Bill does not define what a woman is, and in a previous special purpose committee on Senedd reform, the term “gender” instead of “sex” was used.

In his letter to the Welsh Government, however, Mr Kirkpatrick wrote that “the protected characteristic of ‘sex’ refers to a person’s legal sex, as stated on their birth certificate or as acquired through obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate”.

And he added that the EHRC was “concerned that the Bill appears to base eligibility for inclusion on the quota list on candidates’ declarations of whether or not they are a woman, and this in conjunction with the term ‘gender’ may be insufficiently clear”.

He added: “In short, it may lead to the inclusion of quotas based on a person’s self-identified gender as opposed to their legal sex, and may therefore be inconsistent with the [Equality] Act.”

There is also the question of whether such a quota system is needed at all.

“The Senedd used to have more women than men – without any female shortlists,” Darren Millar, the Conservative Senedd Member for Clwyd West, said.

Indeed, though the representation of women in the Senedd has decreased since 2006, when its 60 members were made up of 31 women and 29 men, there are now still 26 women and 34 men.

“And what about other groups who are marginalised due to faith, race or disability?

“I want a diverse chamber, but this Bill is not the way to do it,” Mr Millar added. 

He warned that the legislation means a man identifying as a woman could put themselves on these shortlists, and it would be up to a legal process to remove him. 

He said: “Labour is deliberately not defining a woman in the legislation and leaving it to the courts to decide following legal challenges.

“It is a farce that we are spending lots of time and energy on this when we could be getting to grips with the problems in the Welsh NHS and education system.” 

Elin Jones, the presiding officer of the Senedd, has previously warned the proposals “would not be within the legislative competence of the Senedd”, and there has been a heated debate in the chamber as to whether those who self-identify as women will be allowed on the all-female shortlists.

In March, Jane Hutt, the minister in charge of the law and Welsh government chief whip, said the information on gender from a candidate would be taken at “face value”.

In an exchange with Mr Millar, who asked whether not having a definition of a woman risked undermining the Bill, she said: “It will be up to individuals to state their gender. They’re [electoral officers] not going to investigate the accuracy of any of the information provided by candidates during the process. We won’t be asking for [a] birth certificate, for example.”

The Welsh Government has previously supported the idea of people being allowed to self-identify whether they are men or women, although it does not have powers to pass such legislation.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government would not comment on the EHRC or state whether they wished the proposals to include biological women or those who self-identify. 

They merely said: “Parties and candidates will have an interest in ensuring that accurate statements are made – otherwise they run the risk of challenge.” But Ms Forstater warned that the “Senedd would do well to listen to the EHRC when drafting its proposals on ‘gender quotas’ for electoral candidates. As clearly stated in the Equality Act, gender self-ID is not the law of the land.”

And Miriam Cates, the Conservative MP, warned that in their efforts to legislate equality, the very people they are trying to support will end up facing more discrimination. “I’m opposed to women shortlists as I feel jobs should be on merit,” she said. “But the Labour Party is adding insult to injury by not being clear about what a woman is. “They need to familiarise themselves with the law – that there is no gender self-ID in law.”

She added: “It is ridiculous when institutions virtue-signal to try and show how diverse they are and find themselves falling foul of the law. 

“And in trying to be inclusive they actually discriminate against the one group they want to protect – chiefly biological women.”

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