International Women’s Day
International Women's Day (March 8) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents – often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences – come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as history-makers; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.
Women in the MGEU
In the 1970’s our union was still called the “Manitoba Government Employees’ Association” and the MGEA introduced the Status of Women Committee in 1973. It was set up to help female members become more aware of their rights, of discriminatory practices within the civil service, and of support services which might help correct these problems. This was the precursor to the MGEU Women’s Committee, which was formed in the early 1980’s. As in the 1970’s, it was felt that women who were members of the MGEU, would continue to need support and broadened the areas of interest to include more fields of labour as the female membership grew.
Much of the seventies and eighties were spent working towards pay equity. The over-representation of female workers in a narrow range of jobs would not have been considered a problem except that those jobs were traditionally undervalued and consequently underpaid. The MGEU, along with many unions at the time, determined that this occupational segregation was the major cause of the gender / wage gap between men and women.
In the 1990’s, members recommended creating a union policy on child care – which would be another stepping stone on the road to equality for women in the workforce – and early in the new millennium that policy was expanded to include elder care and children with disabilities.
The role of women in the MGEU is more important than ever, as currently over 60% of MGEU members are female and their activism in the Union continues to grow.
The MGEU Women’s Committee will be participating in many events on International Women’s Day with their sisters from other unions, including a march to the Legislative Building, leaving at 5:30 pm from the Union Centre, 275 Broadway. All are welcome.