International Womens Day 2016

This time last year I did a post on my mother and grandmother (here) this year I have decided, after doing a lot of research to provide you with 16 facts you may not have known about women around the world and the day itself.

1. International Women's Day started the 8th March in 1908 due to a march of 15,000 women demanding the right to vote, shorter hours and better pay. This took place in New York City.
2. The day was originally called International Women's Working Day.
3. Only 48 women have been awarded Nobel Prizes compared with 822 men.
4. Women perform 66% of the world's work and produce 50% of the food. They earn just 10% of income and own 1% of the property globally.
5. Girls who complete primary and secondary education are likely to earn income, have fewer unwanted pregnancies and break the cycle of poverty...yet so many girls who are in poverty are getting pregnant instead of going to school due to laws...WTF?!
6. Of 585 peace agreements from 1990 to 2010, only 92 contained any reference to women.
7. Out of the 197 countries only 22 can say they have woman serving as head of state.
8. Women in Africa face a 1 in 31 chance of dying from complications due to pregnancies or childbirth.
9. More than one billion people live in extreme poverty, 75% of them are women and girls.
10. Seventy-six million primary school age children are not in school, 60% are girls.
11. There are 876 million illiterate adults in the developing world, more than 65% are women.
12. 4 out of 5 victims of human trafficking are girls.
13. Women around the world aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than cancer, car accidents, war or malaria.
14. Only 30% of the world's researchers are women.
15. On the plus side, in Saudi Arabia, between 2005 and 2015, women's employment has increased 1708%. They also now have the right to vote and run for office in municipal elections.
16. Between 1997 and 2013, the number of businesses started by African-American women grew by 250%.

Is it just me who finds these facts and figures crazy?! For those who don't 'believe' or feel that we should have International Women's Day, read up, its time to learn the facts and realise that until we get a world of equality we aren't going to stop.


Talk to you later x


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