International Women's Day 

Students attend International Women's Day event at Box Hill Library 

In 1977 on March 8, the United Nations proclaimed International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a day where both men and women can come together to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. A lot has changed for women since 1977. It is now no longer uncommon to see women in all fields. Business women, astronauts, judges, tradies, surgeons, politicians, academics- school principals! We still have a way to go; equality of pay, the right to vote in some countries, access to education, control over their bodies. Nevertheless, this Sunday is a day of celebration. This Sunday is about us girls! So let’s all have a fabulous day, be inspired by women on the international stage or maybe someone closer to home. And let me leave you with this from a businesswoman, philanthropist and artist I find inspiring “I want all women to feel great. We are women and we have challenges. We deserve to feel beautiful.”- Rihanna 

Being invited to the Whitehorse International Women's Day event was a great opportunity for my peers and  to meet the women of our community and celebrate International Women's Day together. It really showed me just how amazing some of the diverse women of Whitehorse are and their awesome contributions to our community. Going to this event was truly inspiring and empowering and made me feel more connected to the women in our community.

Katerina Giannakopoulos 12B

I think this chance to celebrate women and how far we have come to expand our equality and opportunities is a really great honour. I have been impressed with how the education system has changed, and how women in schools have been able to receive the same opportunities as men, all through the hard work of the devoted women that came before us. I know that we are very lucky to have it easy, however it's still clear that we have not quite reached a place of total equality, specifically in how men treat women, that is where sexism plays a great part. In school, I myself have witnessed many occasions where girls have been put down, solely for their gender, which is often said to be “just a joke”, but we all know that it still hurts. Looking at it on a bigger scale, one of the biggest problems for women is sexual and physical abuse, which has received a lot more justice, but still nowhere near enough, especially when excuses in the man's favour are constantly being made. This is a problem that constantly needs to be demolished, and I'm glad that we are here today to commemorate that step forward in creating a comfortable and accepting world for the women that will come after us.

Mina Wakefield 12F