International Women's Day Commemoration Project
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
International Women's Day
One hundred and sixty years have passed. At that time, New York City was filled with anger by women who struggled with menial jobs but did not receive commensurate wages. These women were garment workers who tried to keep up with the flow of industrialization and had the implicit reason to work to live. This sparked the idea of celebrating Women's Day. One hundred and sixty years later, precisely on March 8, 2017, women again received 'appreciation' with the commemoration of International Women's Day. Women have always been a hot topic of discussion. The journey of women has a rich story in the midst of the digital era like today. If we trace it back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, female slaves were freed and Allah SWT raised the status of women with the revelation of Surah An-Nisa. Meanwhile, the 1960s marked a special sign of women's courage in voicing their existence with the emergence of feminism. The belief that Mary Magdalene appears as the only woman in Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper has become an interesting topic of debate. Furthermore, Facebook, the most widely used social media platform, has named Kalki Subramaniam, Carol Rossetti, Gottini Gioaia, and several others as "Facebook's Women of Choice" for their exemplary achievements. Despite these discussions, Indonesia has its own history with its women. The stigma of the kitchen, the well, and the mattress has been around for more than a century. The introduction of R.A. Kartini to E.H. Zeehandelaar in 1899 seemed to signal that Indonesian women had equal rights with men. Patriarchy was somewhat silenced. Women proved their strength under the banner of emancipation. Women's freedom to access education became a paradise on earth for women. The confines that had been in place for hundreds of years regarding women as creatures who were not prioritized to know the outside world were slowly fading. The question now is how women utilize this freedom, and how the emancipation envisioned by R.A. Kartini can be realized in today's society. In fact, before International Women's Day was celebrated in Indonesia, on Saturday, March 4, 2017, hundreds of women from various non-profit organizations and women's activists held a Women's March in front of the State Palace. They demanded that injustices that remain a polemic in women's lives in society. This action proves that discrimination against women persists, even though women should have equal rights with men. This protest concerns the more than 400 regional regulations across Indonesia that restrict women. Siti Musdah Mulia, chair of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, represents the voices of Indonesian women, demanding that the government revoke these regulations. These women feel disadvantaged. At least they are still given the opportunity to express their concerns that make them feel discriminated against as citizens. The fear of oppression is a particular concern. Indonesian women want freedom and recognition. Although, when viewed from another perspective, this freedom is clearly demonstrated by the independence of Indonesian women in handling individual and group issues. It seems that in every decision, there are always opposing parties and those who are disadvantaged. This is what then sparks protests and demands related to this dissatisfaction. The government could take action
One hundred and sixty years have passed. At that time, New York City was filled with anger by women who struggled with menial jobs but did not receive commensurate wages. These women were garment workers who tried to keep up with the flow of industrialization and had the implicit reason to work to live. This sparked the idea of celebrating Women's Day. One hundred and sixty years later, precisely on March 8, 2017, women again received 'appreciation' with the commemoration of International Women's Day. Women have always been a hot topic of discussion. The journey of women has a rich story in the midst of the digital era like today. If we trace it back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, female slaves were freed and Allah SWT raised the status of women with the revelation of Surah An-Nisa. Meanwhile, the 1960s marked a special sign of women's courage in voicing their existence with the emergence of feminism. The belief that Mary Magdalene appears as the only woman in Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper has become an interesting topic of debate. Furthermore, Facebook, the most widely used social media platform, has named Kalki Subramaniam, Carol Rossetti, Gottini Gioaia, and several others as "Facebook's Women of Choice" for their exemplary achievements. Despite these discussions, Indonesia has its own history with its women. The stigma of the kitchen, the well, and the mattress has been around for more than a century. The introduction of R.A. Kartini to E.H. Zeehandelaar in 1899 seemed to signal that Indonesian women had equal rights with men. Patriarchy was somewhat silenced. Women proved their strength under the banner of emancipation. Women's freedom to access education became a paradise on earth for women. The confines that had been in place for hundreds of years regarding women as creatures who were not prioritized to know the outside world were slowly fading. The question now is how women utilize this freedom, and how the emancipation envisioned by R.A. Kartini can be realized in today's society. In fact, before International Women's Day was celebrated in Indonesia, on Saturday, March 4, 2017, hundreds of women from various non-profit organizations and women's activists held a Women's March in front of the State Palace. They demanded that injustices that remain a polemic in women's lives in society. This action proves that discrimination against women persists, even though women should have equal rights with men. This protest concerns the more than 400 regional regulations across Indonesia that restrict women. Siti Musdah Mulia, chair of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, represents the voices of Indonesian women, demanding that the government revoke these regulations. These women feel disadvantaged. At least they are still given the opportunity to express their concerns that make them feel discriminated against as citizens. The fear of oppression is a particular concern. Indonesian women want freedom and recognition. Although, when viewed from another perspective, this freedom is clearly demonstrated by the independence of Indonesian women in handling individual and group issues. It seems that in every decision, there are always opposing parties and those who are disadvantaged. This is what then sparks protests and demands related to this dissatisfaction. The government could take action