Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Establishing March 8, 2021, as International Women's Day in the City of Madison.
Body
WHEREAS, the idea of International Women’s Day goes back to February 1909 in New York City where women socialists and suffragettes proclaimed a day of international solidarity with a prophetic focus on global women’s rights; and
WHEREAS, in 1910, one hundred women delegates from 17 countries advanced the idea as a means to continue promoting the rights of women, including suffrage - the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, the demand for women’s rights continued to grow, gain support, and shine a much-needed light on the poor conditions under which too many women live and work. In the 1960s, the ideal of women’s rights was taken up by a new generation of feminists who called for equal pay, equal economic opportunity, equal legal rights, reproductive rights, subsidized child care and the prevention of violence against women; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in 1975, which was declared “International Women’s Year.” In 1977, the United Nations invited members to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace, and International Women’s Day continues to be celebrated worldwide each year on March 8; and
WHEREAS, in this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women around the world. Women are disproportionately represented in frontline hospital and health care jobs and other high-risk and often low wage jobs. In additions, the virus has forced many women to leave their jobs to assume caretaking responsibilities for children and older adults, causing a dramatic reduction of women in the workforce, representing billions in lost wages and economic activity and necessitating more progressive work-family policies to advance gender equity and achieve economic growth; and
WHEREAS, women of color play a vital role in maintaining the economic stability of their families and communities, performing the essential work that keep families and communities afloat and are still paid, on average, less than men and white women. As COVID-19 has wreaked havoc around the globe, it has disproportionately impacted women of color, and understanding COVID-19’s impact on these women is critical to global public health and overcoming the current crisis; and
WHEREAS, the 2021 UN theme for International Women's Day is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world," highlighting the heroic contributions of women and girls as health care workers, caregivers, innovators and community organizers during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, local organizations including Africaide, University of Wisconsin 4W Women and Wellbeing Initiative, United Nations Association of the United States of America-Dane County Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Madison Alumnae Chapter, UW African Studies Program, Senegambia Women's Association and Zonta Club of Madison will celebrate this day on Saturday, March 6, 2021, bringing together women in Madison and Wisconsin;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and the Madison Common Council recognize and celebrate the critical contributions women, and especially women of color, are making around the world during in this historic pandemic year.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Mayor Rhodes-Conway and the Madison Common Council recognize the strength of every woman and believe that together we can fulfill the century-old vision of the International Women’s Day Founders to stand firmly together to build a better, more equitable and more peaceful world.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that March 8, 2021 is declared International Women’s Day in the City of Madison, and all Madisonians are encouraged to recognize and celebrate International Women’s Day.