Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Celebrating March 8, 2025, as International Women's Day in the City of Madison
Body
WHEREAS, International Women’s Day serves as a global platform to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of women around the world in various fields such as politics, science, business, literature, arts, sports, and more; and,
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, 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 lived and worked; and,
WHEREAS, 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, 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; and,
WHEREAS, the 2025 theme for International Women's Day is ‘Accelerate Action’ for gender equality, which “emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality;” and,
WHEREAS, according to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, approximately five generations from now, to reach full gender parity; and,
WHEREAS, women globally continue to encounter economic, social, and political inequalities, such as wage disparities, lack of representation in leadership roles, obstacles to healthcare access, and gender-based violence; and,
WHEREAS, women of color play a vital role in maintaining the economic stability of their families and communities, ...
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