International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
We can link this week’s theme with Article 2:
Article 2 – Non-discrimination
The Convention applies to every child without discrimination.
To help us think more critically about Article 2, try one or more of the activities below:
Activity 1
Watch Thomas and Friends on Gender Equality. Thomas talks about what his friends are good at and says that girls and boys should work as equals and have the same chances in life. What are you really good at? Share this with your friends. Can girls and boys be good at the same things?
Activity 2
Draw a picture of a woman or girl that you look up to. This might be a member of your family, someone at school or someone you have learned about. Share your picture with your classmates.
Activity 3
Find out about some influential women who have changed the world in the ‘Fantastically Great Women’ series by Kate Pankhurst. You can see an extract here. Why not sing along to some of the songs from the musical based on the book. You could even try to write your own song about a woman who inspires you.
Activity 4
Watch ‘If Cinderella were a guy…’* Write your own fairy tale where ‘traditional’ gender roles are reversed or use other fairy tales that you know and change the characters around.
Activity 5
Sadly, many girls across the world are unable to access the same education as boys. Imagine you were a girl kept at home to grow food, cook and help look after your siblings while your brothers went off to school each day. Write a poem about your feelings or a letter to your parents to explain why this situation should change.
