Throughout history, women have faced inequality and injustice. Though women’s contributions to society have been many and crucial to the way our world is today, a majority of history books don’t credit them.

In the past, women were not able to work or allowed to vote. While we have made some progress, many hardships and problems still remain. 

There are reports of girl infanticide in China and India. The rights of women with regard to voting, education, and divorce are still not established in many countries. And even in the West, women are paid only 80% of what men receive for the same work. 

The lack of rights for women is an important issue in our world today and gave rise to International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Read more about the history in this article. 

The 2020 theme for International Women's Day is #GenderEquality and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform For Action that recognized the importance and a path for empowering girls and women around the world. The video below highlights what this year's theme means.

Source: UN