International Women’s Day: There is still much to do

Soon a hundred years will have passed since women across the world first took to the streets to defend their rights. The scientific medical image agency medicalpicture® follows International Women’s Day on March 8th in a special on the topic. Just a glimpse of the photo series by medicalpicture® depicts the ambivalence of feminine engagements today.

When women all over the world call in their rights on International Women’s Day, this involves much more than the political and societal emancipation demanded at the beginning of the 20th century. As such, medicalpicture® is

exhibiting both a classic portrayal of a demonstrator, who with poignant irony demands a cohabitation form from men, requiring them to assume responsibility for any resulting offspring. But we also see Clara Harlowe Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, we see a pregnant woman and the birth-control pill, we see women laughing, beautiful women and women, who are beautifying themselves. The image of women across the world is diverse and at times, contradictory. But an initiative such as this one continues to draw its purpose on just this basis.

Founded by Clara Zetkin
At least in its origins, International Women’s Day, held annually on March 8, constituted an undisputedly political initiative. It was brought to life by the German women’s rights activist and socialist Clara Zetkin. For the first time in 1911, women banded together and took to the streets of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and the USA. As of 1975, the day made it into UN’s datebook.

Today, unions above all - at least in Germany - take advantage of International Women’s Day, following it in events across the country. “Women want more than the mere compatibility between one’s family and work”, the Association of German Unions stated in a press release. “Women want to participate independently in both the professional and social world.” Soon a hundred years will have passed since the first International Women’s Day, a great deal still remains to be done - here at home included.

Weblinks
Selection of images covering International Women’s Day: http://bilddatenbank.medicalpicture.de/folder/16819672
Nurses at medicalpicture: http://bilddatenbank.medicalpicture.de/folder/16983913
International Health-Days: http://www.healthdays.eu