Originally published on the CGS blog on March 8, 2012.
Today is International Women’s Day! Although this day has been celebrated on different dates throughout history, it still marks a time to remember how far we have come and how far we still have to go. In the past 101 years of celebrating International Women’s Day, amazing progress for gender equality has taken place. Since the first International Women’s day, women have been granted the right to vote in most countries, they have served as Heads of State, they have made critical contributions to science and the arts, and they have even made it to moon. The shoes of women such as Madeline Albright and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will be hard to fill. It is important that we continue their legacy of female empowerment.
While I’m sure these accomplishments go above and beyond what has been expected, there is still so much to do. One way for the United States to continue the advancement of women is through the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The United Nations passed CEDAW in 1979, declaring that women and men should be treated equally throughout the world. This treaty has still not been ratified by the United States Senate. CEDAW promotes equal rights for women under the law and encourages women to have a greater voice in government. The treaty also supports an end to the trafficking of women and all forms of gender based discrimination. U.S. ratification of this treaty would help in making women’s rights an international priority. It will open up a greater international dialogue on gender equality. Click here to learn more about CEDAW. On this day it is important to remember that women’s rights are human rights.
