TODAY, Guyana, like the rest of the World celebrates International Women’s Day. It is a day when women, normally separated by language, race, nationality, political affiliation or by geography, are united in the observance of this day which has been variously seen as a time for assessing the status of women in society, for reviewing the progress made towards gender equity, or sometimes as a day for celebrating achievements. But how did this get started? Its origin lies in women’s struggle for better conditions and improvement in their status. Historically, it has been linked to the protest march by very humble women workers in a garment factory in New York in the mid 1850s. They were struggling for a 10-hour working day, better wages, and equal pay for equal work and equal rights for women: They marched through New York and the police broke up their march, arresting many of them. The following year, on the same date, women working in the needle industry demonstrated in observance of the first protest march staged by their sisters in the garment factory. They were also calling for better conditions, the end of sweatshops and of child labour. They were also stopped by the police. News of these protests and the militancy of these women soon spread to other parts of the world.
By 1894 there were campaigns by women across the globe, not only to improve their status but to secure the right to vote and to co-education. Women leaders emerged in every country and led their national movements. The early 20th Century therefore saw women the world over fighting for their rights and an improvement in their status.
In Europe there was an exceedingly strong movement from which emerged
Clara Zetkin, the tireless leader, from Germany. She was ably supported by outstanding women such as Rosa Luxemburg. These women also campaigned for the right to vote. Their campaigns grew in strength despite the fact that they were often broken up by the police.
Zetkin, who had been inspired by the activities of those brave and fearless women in New York, proposed in 1910, that the 8th of March should be commemorated each year as International Women’s Day in recognition of the earlier struggles waged by those working women of New York. The first INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY was observed in l911 in Germany, Austria Denmark and Switzerland.
But many of these movements lost their momentum because of civil wars and the world wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. But by the 1970s there was a return to the levels of militancy which characterised the earlier movement.
In Guyana and the Caribbean, the background to the observance of International Women’s Day differed from that of their sisters in the Western World. Women in these parts had developed an early tradition of struggle and activism born out of their experiences in shaking off the shackles of slavery and indentureship, followed by the exploitation of colonialism. This was followed by an era in which there was a growing awareness of their status in society and an increasing sensitivity to gender discrimination.
The period from the 1940s through to the 1960s, which saw the development of the spirit of nationalism and movement towards independence throughout the Caribbean Region – was characterised by militancy and political awareness among women. They were becoming active participants in political parties. In Guyana there was the strident call for adult suffrage which was achieved in 1945 with certain conditions.
The launching pad for women’s militancy and activism in Guyana was the emergence of the Women’s Political and Economic Organisation formed by Janet Jagan, Winifred Gaskin and Frances Van Stafford. This stimulated the social, economic and political development of women who agitated for the improvement of their status. This was followed over the years by the development of other social and political organisations, chief among which were the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) –Women’s arm of the PPP and the Women’s Auxiliary of the PNC which later became known as the WRSM and currently the National Congress of Women(NCW). Links were established with Women’s Social Movements in Europe and Guyanese women became part of the international network.
It is believed that International Women’s Day was first observed in Guyana in 1963. Since then, it has been observed annually.
This glimpse of the history of International Women’s Day has merely highlighted the enormous strength and determination of some of the women who went before us, and the role they played in establishing the foundation on which today’s achievements have been grounded. Let us not ignore them as most of our history has done. Let us also chronicle today’s achievements for those who follow us.
MINISTRY OF LABOUR, HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY