Students reflect on International Women’s Day

In honor of International Women’s Day last Friday, students reflected on what the day’s importance meant to them. International Women’s Day’s theme centered around the idea of “Balance for Better,” the idea of balancing gender equity across the world. Whether students were familiar or not with the day’s themes and goals, students overall seemed to value the holiday. Junior Libby Cohen believes that International Women’s Day provides a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women.

“To me, International Women’s Day is a time for women to come together and celebrate all the amazing things women have and will accomplish,” Cohen said.

Junior Andy Ellis seems to agree.

“International Women’s Day is a celebration of the accomplishments of women. I think it’s inspiring to celebrate that,” Ellis said.

While students mainly focused on the positives that International Women’s Day brings, the holiday is motivated by a continuing reality of gender inequality that still exists.

More than 130 million women were unable to attend school in 2016. Only 4.8 percent of Fortune 500 company chief executives were women in 2018. Additionally, 750 million women today are married by the age of 18.

International Women’s Day strives to better balance the scales of gender equality and combat existing gender inequality. The day aims to inspire a more balanced mindset year round, yet the day itself provides an amplified chance to do so. Junior Paige Indritz explained the essence of International Women’s Day.

“International Women’s Day empowers women to be confident in who they are,” she said.