WEDNESDAY is International Women\u2019s Day with several events planned in the area to mark the worldwide occasion on 8 March.<\/p>\n
Chair of the Greater Bendigo Gender Equity Coalition, Sue Clarke, said she is excited for the day that\u2019s in part about acknowledging women who may not always get the spotlight they deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about recognising and celebrating the women in our community and beyond,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some amazing women in the region and women volunteers that just give and give and give and don\u2019t get much acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Clarke said she believes things are slowly improving regarding equality and that people need to draw attention to any issues they see.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does feel like we take six steps forward to then take five steps back,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we are moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just have to call it out when we see inequity, we can\u2019t just step around it we have to acknowledge it and call for it to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
La Trobe University professor of history and award-winning writer Clare Wright said the need to have a day solely for celebrating women is a sign of where the world is still at.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to see an era when every day is women\u2019s day,\u201d she said. \u201cThe fact of the matter is, women still live largely in a man\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is in terms of the distribution of resources, of equity across a whole range of indicators, of participation in the labour force at equal levels as well as participation on boards at equal levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is also wage justice, gender justice, reproductive justice, educational outcomes, the list goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, Professor Wright said there is still a place for an International Women\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what I think International Women\u2019s Day can do is draw focus to the fact that we still have a long way to go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me it\u2019s not a day of celebration, it\u2019s actually a day of reflection and stocktaking.\u201d<\/p>\n