WOMEN’S DAY:Ugandan Women Have Little to Celebrate
The International Women’s Day is still of little significance among the rural women compared to their counterparts in the city.
In a sample survey carried out by our Reporters in the areas of Kawanda, in Wakiso district and Kawempe division indicated that the women were aware of the day, but attributed little significance to it in their daily lives.
But what is the meaning of the day? What type of activities is expected on this day and what are the expectations of women on the international women’s day.
Easther Nazziwa, a resident of Nakyesanja, in Nabweru sub country, told the press that the day has little significance in her life. A mother of three, Nazziwa says she has to take care of her children and do the house chores in the usual way she does on the other days.
Aidah Kalule, a businesswoman in Wandegeya dealing in jewelry, says that her expectations of the day would involve having special consideration for women in providing them with a percentage of job allocations in the central government.
But Rosemary Ssenidde, the Waksio district women MP, says that the day is significant in the lives of women. She claims that of the 34 million people in Uganda, 17 million are women, adding that on the business angle the women are now managing over 40 percent of the Ugandan business sector.
In 1909, in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day was observed across the United States on February 28. Women continued to celebrate the day on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
The second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1910. A woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day.
She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands.
Uganda started celebrating the International Women’s Day on March, 8, 1984. The celebrations in Uganda were pioneered by then first lady, Miria Obote.
In July, 1985, Mrs Obote attended a conference to mark the end of the United Nations Decade for Women, in Nairobi, Kenya.
During the conference women from various countries all over the world reviewed the achievements of the UN Decade for Women.
Today the socialist political event has been blended into the culture of many countries, and in Uganda the official functions for this year have been marked at Nakasongola district.
This year’s celebrations are under the theme “The Gender Agenda: Connecting Grassroot Women to Development.”
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