{"id":38796,"date":"2025-03-08T19:07:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=38796"},"modified":"2025-03-08T19:07:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:37:26","slug":"international-women-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-03-2025\/international-women-day","title":{"rendered":"International Women\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Society<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prime Minister reiterates <strong>commitment for Women Empowerment on International Women\u2019s Day.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Every Year International Women\u2019s Day is celebrated on the <strong>8th March.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vladimir Lenin<\/strong> declared March 8 as International Women\u2019s Day in <strong>1922 <\/strong>to recognise the<strong> women\u2019s role in the 1917 Russian Revolution.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was officially recognized by the <strong>United Nations in 1977.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The themes for 2025 include:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United Nations (UN) Theme: <\/strong>\u201cFor All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Official IWD Theme:<\/strong> &#8220;Accelerate Action.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The year 2025 commemorates 30 years<\/strong> since the adoption of the <strong>Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This agreement remains one of the most comprehensive frameworks for advancing women&#8217;s and girls\u2019 rights globally.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legal Framework for Women Empowerment in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian Constitution guarantees gender equality through provisions in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, and Directive Principles of State Policy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 14<\/strong> ensures equality before the law, while <strong>Article 15 <\/strong>prohibits discrimination based on sex.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 51(a)(e) <\/strong>encourages citizens to renounce practices derogatory to women\u2019s dignity.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Directive Principles,<\/strong> particularly Articles 39 and 42, emphasize equal livelihood opportunities, equal pay, and maternity relief.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by Women<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gender Discrimination:<\/strong> Persistent cultural biases and stereotypes that limit opportunities for women in various sectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Access to Education:<\/strong> Limited access to quality education, especially in rural areas, affecting girls&#8217; future opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Inequality:<\/strong> Women often face wage gaps, limited job opportunities, and unequal financial independence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safety and Security: <\/strong>High rates of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, domestic violence, and trafficking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health and Reproductive Rights:<\/strong> Limited access to healthcare, reproductive rights, and maternal health services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Child Marriage: <\/strong>Prevalence of child marriage, particularly in rural areas, which affects women&#8217;s health, education, and autonomy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Representation: <\/strong>Underrepresentation in political offices and decision-making roles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Norms and Expectations:<\/strong> Rigid societal roles that limit women\u2019s freedom and opportunities for self-expression and growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Workplace Harassment: <\/strong>Gender-based harassment and lack of proper support structures in workplaces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India is a signatory to international treaties such as:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>United Nations Convention Against Corruption (2003).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Achievements in India:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, <\/strong>seeks to <strong>reserve one-third of the total number of seats <\/strong>for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Assembly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The National Sex Ratio<\/strong> improved to <strong>1020 <\/strong>for the first time (National Family Health Survey -5).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paid maternity leave<\/strong> increased to 26 weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3.2 Crore Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>72% women ownership<\/strong> under PM Awas Yojana Gramin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MMR to 97\/lakh live births in 2018-20 <\/strong>from 130\/lakh live births in 2014-16.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Abolition of Triple Talaq <\/strong>empowering Muslim women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Permanent commission<\/strong> granted to <strong>Women Officers in 12 Arms and Services.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Entry of women as Agniveers<\/strong> commenced in all the three Services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>43% of STEM graduates <\/strong>in India are women which is highest in the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mission Shakti<\/strong> is a women empowerment programme launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) for the period 2021-2025.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims to strengthen interventions for women&#8217;s welfare, safety, and empowerment, making women equal partners in nation-building.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, and PM Matru Vandana Yojana <\/strong>have also contributed to significant improvements in the welfare and empowerment of women and girls.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programmes<\/strong> focus on improving women&#8217;s health beyond just calorie intake and improving overall health and immunity with proper micronutrients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE KIRAN) program <\/strong>has supported nearly 1,962 women scientists from 2018 to 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nari Shakti Puraskar: <\/strong>Recognizes the contributions of women in various fields, celebrating achievements and inspiring others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017:<\/strong> Provides for 26 weeks of paid maternity leave for women working in the private sector and government.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/lifestyle\/life-style\/international-women-day-2025-theme-significance-date-8-march-9873286\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prime Minister reiterates commitment for Women Empowerment on International Women\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38796"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38797,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38796\/revisions\/38797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}