International Women’s Day, March 8
Democrats Abroad Greece
Women’s Collective Voices
My name is Joann Ryding. I live in Thessaloniki, Greece and I vote in my native state of Rhode Island. I am retired from a career in international education.
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to remind ourselves and our communities that society still has a long way to go to ensure a safer, freer and more equitable world for women. In spite of all the gains made since the first International Women’s Day, it’s very worrying that progress towards gender equality has stalled or reversed in many countries, including the U.S.
International Women’s Day provides a platform to raise awareness about issues that affect women, both on the local level where we live as well as throughout the world. The curtailing of reproductive freedom, the increase in domestic violence since the Covid pandemic and the growth of authoritarian governments promoting “traditional values” are just a few of the recent phenomena that should concern us.
For me, supporting quality education for women and girls is critical. I am a graduate of one of the first women’s colleges founded in the U.S. Although attending a women’s college did not mean that much to me at the time, I have since come to value that education and admire Mount Holyoke College’s identity as a women’s college that is gender-diverse, as well as its aggressive leadership on diversity, equality and inclusion issues. But whatever form education takes, equal access for women and girls in their countries should be non-negotiable. The current U.S. administration’s intention to cut investments in public education could affect children who most need support.