It is a celebration with more than a century’s history. International Women's Day dates back to its 1910 establishment as an effort to recognise women's contributions to the world.
It was first celebrated by Germany in March 1911 and gained wider social recognition after its adoption by the United Nations in 1975.
It is now an official holiday in more than 20 — mostly socialist or ex-Soviet —countries, and Berlin has become the only Western capital granting it public holiday status.
Peter Silberberg, German Consul General in Sydney tells SBS German he welcomes the new holiday.
“It’s important on this occasion to reflect about what still needs to be done to achieve social, economic, cultural and political equality for women across all countries around the world,” says Silberberg.
The female founders of International Women’s Day and their compatriots could not vote when the date was set. Indeed, for German women, that right was only gained after the end of World War One – the Great War – says Silberberg.
“The first time women could participate as equals in an election in Germany, was in 1919 during the ill-fated Weimar Republic.”
In 2015, the UN’s ‘2030 Agenda’ reaffirmed the importance of gender equality for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world and almost 150 countries have legally ratified the equality of men and women in their constitutions.
However, in many nations, gender discrimination is still woven into the fabric of legal systems and social norms. Even countries such as Germany lag behind when it comes to equal representation and participation of women in major areas, such as politics.
“We’re a good way behind reaching that goal”, says Silberberg, “Particularly when considering the number of women in Federal Parliament or in other leading positions. I don’t have to look far. In my own workplace, the foreign office, there’s a shortage of women at the top of the organisation.”
Peter Silberberg says that during his last diplomatic posting in Norway he witnessed the introduction of quotas for women in public life.
He says the argument behind such a move is convincing.
“Norway accepted that it cannot do without 50 per cent of its people resources and that gender equality was simply a necessity.”
Paid parental leave for mothers and fathers is one example of a popular way to guarantee gender equality in a practical manner, but the benefits differ between European countries and Australia.
International Women's Day In Berlin Source: Getty Images Europe
Peter Silberberg says paid parental leave helps women to resume their careers after birth.
“That’s the intention of the law: to make family and career more compatible and paid parental leave is the tool to achieve that.”
But not everybody agrees.
Industry and business groups in Berlin remain sceptical about the benefits of the new holiday, fearing that another long weekend will cost millions in productivity and lower Berlin’s GDP by 0.3 per cent annually.
