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  • Tuesday, 07 Mar, 2023,
  • by Phillip Weir

International Women’s Day: Choose to Challenge.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is commemorated on March 8 every year, as it has been since 1910, when Clara Zetkin, a German politician, suggested the annual date as a global observance of the American National Women’s Day inaugurated the year before.

The day was hardly considered a ‘celebration’ however. It was designed to concentrate demands by women for better working and social conditions. Better pay, shorter hours and the right to vote were the three tenets of the movement that attracted more than one million people to march through cities in Europe, America and Britain in 1911.

The ‘great war’ assured the continuance of IWD, albeit in the pursuit of peace, but the movement grew and eventually conditions were improved, and the equality gap began to narrow.

The United Nations officially ratified IWD in 1975 and introduced the first ‘theme’ in 1996. In 2022 that theme is ‘Embrace Equity’:

“A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA, (and) it’s critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.”

The women of the Greyhound Racing community have embodied that phrase. They have been challenged and have assumed responsibility, and for many, it is all day, every day.

The thoughts and actions of the women in racing – in the whole community for that matter – have shaped the state of the sport into the healthy, vigorous and optimistic industry it is.

While it’s true these standards can’t be applied to the whole world, and there is still work to be done, we can make sure we set the bar for others to follow, just like we do as some of the most respected greyhound racing participants in the world.

‘Make every day International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.’

Phillip WeirPhillip Weir

Phillip Weir

Phil has spent a lifetime working in the media. He has a keen interest in the history of the greyhound breed and is a foster carer for the Greyhound Adoption Program.

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