As much change as the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the world, there are some issues that have not lost relevance in 2020 and cannot be neglected even in times of a global pandemic. One of these topics is gender equality whose importance is usually manifested through numerous events and marches worldwide on 8 March. The International Women’s Day marks an opportunity to reflect on the progress in this area, to express a call for change, but also to celebrate the big and small acts of courage and determination from women all around the world.
In times of the coronavirus pandemic, it is becoming more and more clear that mostly women carry the burden of unpaid care and domestic work. Even before 2020, about 75 % of the unpaid work worldwide was carried out by women and this tendency seems to be reinforced by the circumstances of the pandemic. According to a UN study, more women than men now face the double burden of their job and the additional domestic work, such as home-schooling children.
International Women’s Day 2021 is celebrated using the theme “Choose to challenge” which reminds us to be alert to the challenges in the world and that everyone is responsible for their own thoughts and actions. Despite many events not being able to take place like they used to on this day, 8 March is also in 2021 a decisive moment to remind the world that there is still a lot to be done in the fight for gender equality.
Did you know?
- 33 % of the female population living in the EU has experienced physical and/or sexual violence and 55 % of the women have been sexually harassed at some point in their lives.
- Women in the EU earn on average 16 % less than men and still face barriers to access the job market and remain part of it.
- Only 8 % of the CEOs of the largest European companies are women.
Whereas awareness for gender issues is crucial for everyone, it plays an especially important role for interpreters since the vast majority of the practitioners are women. The 8 March can therefore serve as a reminder to raise your voice against violence and inequality as well as to make an impact on a professional and a personal level.
So, on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021 why not choose to challenge yourself to learn more about gender equality and practise your interpreting skills at the same time? We strongly recommend you use the Speech Repository, where you can find a selection of speeches in numerous languages about the topic:
Speech Repository
AR: 29589, 27728
CS: 26266, 26256, 26164
DE: 22830
EN: 22034, 22036, 22377, 28863, 25969, 29348, 26875
ES: 25408, 28512
FR: 22038, 26606, 24382, 23506
GA: 23926, 29467
IS: 30595
IT: 27750, 27751
NL: 28991
PT: 28104
RU: 23859
TR: 26625
ZH: 24546, 27022, 25563
My Speech Repository
DE: 27172, 27099, 26579
IT: 27805
NL: 24449
RO: 28369
RU: 28045
Happy practice!
Your Speech Repository Team