International Women’s Day Centenary Celebrations, 8 March

The 8 March 2011 will mark 100th anniversary International Women’s Day (IWD). The 2011 United Nations (UN) theme for IWD is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women“. Gender Links’ (GL) theme for the 8 March 2011 is “Decent work, Decent lives: 100 years of herstory“.

The lack of recognition of women’s work leads to lack of public investment in the areas where women are concentrated such as the informal sector, rural subsistence production, domestic “reproductive work or the care economy and voluntary community work. This scenario calls for the review, amendment and enactment of laws and policies that ensure women and men have equal access to wage employment and for the recognition of women’s unpaid work.

Linking to the UN theme, on the 8 March, GL will be hosting an exhibition and seminar profiling women from the informal sector and women providing care to those affected and infected by HIV and AIDS. The work of women in both these sectors is often unrecognised and therefore operates outside the mainstream of the economy. Informal traders and care givers will share their stories.GL has been working with women traders from the Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation (ESSET) over the last six months. The women traders have been doing a gender and media literacy course. They will graduate during the seminar and show case their projects.

Keeping with the gender and media theme GL will launch the ninth edition of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal, Gender Media Diversity and Change: Taking stock.

The seminar and exhibition will take place at the Women’s Jail Lekgotla and Atrium at Constitution Hill on the 8 March 2011 from 09h00 to 15h00. Teas and lunch will be served.

GL invites all organisations interested in exhibiting their work and products to contact Mona Hakimi on publications@genderlinks.org.za or call 011 622 2877.
Click here to view the concept note.

Click here to read an article from the IFJ, 100 Years of International Women’s Day: Cautious celebration in face of bias, violence and media stereotypes.

Celebrations in Botswana
Celebrate 100 Years of   International Women’s Day with the SADC Secretariat.
From 1-11 March, 2011 at the SADC Headquarters, Central Business District, Gaborone.
GL will be showing various videos as well as exhibiting at the book fair.
Click here to download information on all the activities.

Download : Botswana IWD Activities