With the news today of the International Women's Day march in Cairo turned into a shouting match, I was wondering how much has changed, or has grown with regards to Women's Rights, some 100 years after the movement began.
Depends on who you talk to either a lot or not much. In politics women have become increasingly present in leadership roles - as is evidenced by the number of Women Prime Ministers throughout the world over the years and even in our own political landscape. But what about in all facets of life, the day to day parts? The nine to five that isn't so visible - what about that?
As part of its celebration of 100 Years of International Women's Day, The BBC World Service, as part of their World Have Your Say program ran an international call-in special and the topic was sexual harassment in the workplace. I guess the best opportunity to see how much has changed or not changed in our society and our culture is to look at how women are viewed in the work force; the real nitty-gritty, as it were.
It's an interesting exchange and it's completely off the cuff so there are a lot of technical glitches because responses come everywhere from Africa to South America to the U.S. - a fascinating sampling of how the world looks at sexual harassment and indeed how men and women view each other all over the world.
That's the top player. The bottom player is a discussion on the History Of Women's Rights as part of the BBC's Woman's Hour program from September 2007. Interviewed is author and philosopher Anthony Grayling on the subject of just how far the struggle for equality goes. And yes, it's a lot farther back than 100 years.
Good stuff to check out and consider - and probably a thing or two you may have missed.