it would serve as an annual reminder to the world of women’s socio-economic and political importance. She would never have imagined that this commemoratory day would blossom into such a critical yearly feature. A day when women across the globe are indeed celebrated, their voices heard, and their challenges discussed on meaningful platforms.
The reason is simple, the women in Clara’s lifetime lived in an entirely different clime, and their struggles, in most cases, were essentially different from those of today. While several studies have shown that gender parity may not be attainable, as the World Economic Forum opined, for the next century. Yet it is no gainsaying that women had come a long way from when Clara Zetkin came up with the audacious idea of celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD).
From struggling to gain access to education and being denied voting rights, women have come to lead industries, create innovative solutions to human needs, and even rule nations! And they continue to smash the glass ceiling further. Recently, the first female Vice President in the history of the United States was elected in 2020. While that took about two centuries to actualize, the shift is welcome, nonetheless.
Indeed, one cannot deny the place of women’s socio-economic and political development in the recent past. Women have indisputably contributed to the development of humanity as they continue to shatter numerous glass ceilings and thrive across all sectors of human existence, and there are numerous testimonials to this.
Two years ago, as the world grappled with the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying lockdown, women leaders shone brightly among their peers, as they exhibited distinctive qualities, with better intervention responses and faster communication channels, thereby managing the Covid crisis effectively. The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed to prevent the further spread of the rabid virus, was globally celebrated and widely adopted as the panacea to the COVID19. However, many did not know the discovery was the work of a team of exceptional female researchers at Oxford University, led by Sarah Gilbert.
In a similar light, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Physics for their breakthrough work on editing DNA, known as Crispr-Cas9, to signify the strength of women in science and technology.
Read also: What Vietnam’s 20,000 GWh power generation teaches Nigeria
Very satisfyingly, according to Forbes, the number of women leaders in the world has doubled since 2005. Not to forget that in 2021, eight countries elected their first woman Head of State and Government, some of which are conservative regions like Barbados in the Caribbean, Tanzania in Africa, and Estonia in Eastern Europe. One could go on and on about the achievements of women in recent times, but the question is, did women only begin to do these amazing things in the present day? Definitely not! In fact, for as long as humans have existed, women have contributed significantly to the world’s advancement in numerous capacities. For instance, Josephine Garis Cochran discovered the dishwasher in 1886, and the world’s first computer programmer was a woman named Ada Lovelace. Also, the first Electric refrigerator was designed by Florence Parpart, a woman, in 1913.
So, what changed? Why has the world begun to understand, acknowledge, recognize, and appreciate women’s achievements in the past years?
The answer to these questions is not at all far-fetched, women have repeatedly shown the world how essential they are to the development of the world across diverse industries, and even though it has taken so long, the world has finally started to notice. Organizations now consciously seek female employees, governments now commit resources to advance the plights of women, and international organizations, more than ever before, are actively working to empower women across the globe. While there is still a long way to go, it is indisputable that what started as Clara Zetkin’s bold idea has in the last century grown to become a memorable, symbolic, and unstoppable movement, recognized the world over, and set aside to truly identify, celebrate, and amplify the achievements of women annually.
However, there is still much work to achieve a genuinely gender-equal world. According to a survey carried out by McKinsey, if women participate equally with men in the world’s economic activities, global GDP would see 29.3 million United States Dollars added to it. This projection indicates superior benefits from the inclusion of women in economic activities. but there are also potential losses to the world if women are not allowed equal financial opportunities as men.
This cogent point has not been fully understood by governments and stakeholders yet, which is why women must continuously find channels that foster, encourage, and allow for their economic advancement.
This year, as the world celebrates International Women’s Day, it is critical for women to pay attention to wealth creation, financial security, life protection, and risk management as these provide guaranteed financial security as they go on to shatter glass ceilings, alter stereotypes, and break biases, specifically in their finances, and what better way to this than insurance?
Irrespective of social class or educational background, it is essential for women to strive towards financial security, and insurance is a sure way to achieve this. If women turn to insurance, they are empowered to access a wide array of services that assures lifelong economic protection, from life assurance packages to target savings, education savings, health insurance, auto insurance, and even protection of their chosen lifestyle. There is a buffet of services that women can leverage to ensure unceasing happiness and peace of mind.
For more information on the array of services available for you to access, please visit www.leadway.com or call the Leadway Assurance Financial Management Experts on 01-2800-70 or email [email protected] for professional advice. You call also request a call back by visiting www.leadway.com/call-me.
We are also within your reach on WhatsApp via our virtual assistant support on 08129997044 or any of our social media outlets – @leadwayassurance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also send a DM, and we will revert with all the information you require.
