Written by Anna Apergi Konstantinidis | Special Advisor Diversity Charter Greece

International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8 and was first established following a Resolution of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1977.

It is a day when we honor women’s struggles for greater inclusion, rights and freedoms, but also a day of vigilance and awareness of the wider society for the many and multiple problems that women, femininity in general, face daily, solely due to their gender.

Unequal treatment, discrimination, exclusion and outright violence continue to plague them throughout the spectrum of their private and social lives, since the patriarchal stereotypes and prejudices that exist around gender, and mainly the perceptions that have to do with the dominant bilateral perspective on gender and that reserve a specific role for women and femininity in general, which is linked to sexist perceptions such as that one of the two dominant genders is considered by some to be biologically, morally, intellectually and socially inferior to the other, still hold strong today, while many times such sexist behaviors are institutionalized.

We should always talk openly about all these issues related to human rights and International Days, such as today’s Women’s Rights Day, are a good reason . Some people believe that human rights only concern certain subgroups of the population, but this is not at all the case. Human rights concern all of us, everything and everyone, each and every person individually . We should always always talk about all of these and we should not take anything for granted.

The enjoyment of rights and freedoms concerns every woman, every femininity in general, and every LGBTQI+ femininity or masculinity that experiences unequal treatment or even gender-based violence, but it also concerns every democratic citizen, regardless of gender, who desires an open society for all our fellow human beings.

This year, Women’s Rights Day coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action , a Plan of Action for the rights of women, girls, and femininity in general worldwide, for their rights in matters such as legal protection, access to services, and combating outdated social perceptions and stereotypes.

The UN in its message for today highlights the progress made worldwide in recent years regarding women’s rights , specifically stating that for 89% of governments the elimination of violence against women is now a high priority, while 193 countries have already adopted laws to achieve this goal. Also, statistics show that countries that have institutionalized measures to address domestic violence have fewer incidents of violence against women, while in most of the world equal education has been achieved regardless of gender, thus bridging the gender gap in access to science and technology. In addition, more countries have strengthened care services and 32% of countries worldwide now promote better wages and safe working conditions for those working in these services, while there are now 112 countries that have a National Plan for the participation of women in peace and security processes.

If we take a journey back in time and look at history, from the first struggles for women’s rights and the struggles of the feminist movement, with the main demands of inclusion and equality, without any discrimination whatsoever, we will see that several steps have been taken, of course not without bloodshed.

However, although our societies have made significant strides, the rights of women and femininity in general are not only disregarded, but continue to be attacked.

Violence and femicide are increasing, while sexism is still very much entrenched in our society. Something similar is happening to all our fellow human beings, who are experiencing increasing gender discrimination and exclusion, while as UN Secretary-General António Guterres rightly emphasizes in his message for International Women’s Day 2025, “Instead of equal rights prevailing, we are seeing the prevalence of misogyny.”

So, on International Women’s Day , and on every possible occasion, especially in crisis environments, and as this year marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we must take action . We must reflect and see how our societies can move forward with more solidarity, inclusion, rights and freedoms.

We must take action to combat misogyny and sexism, which harbor within them the stench of patriarchy and its intolerable demeanor.

Take action to create equal opportunities for decent work, without any inequality in pay between all genders.

Action for even better support, but also for the proper implementation of laws, to end all forms of violence against women and femininity in general.

Action to ensure the full participation of women and femininity in decision-making.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that we work and take action to pave the way for a peaceful and more sustainable future, with security, dignified living and protection of all fundamental rights.