To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Status of Women Office hosted a luncheon gathering last Thursday at the International Student Centre. Organizers of the event said that International Women’s Day is a celebration of women intellect and change.
Information, books and art displays were set up, and participants sampled a variety of ethnic foods from different countries around the world—all to emphasize that women’s issues are global issues and that International Women’s Day is a worldwide celebration.
In addition to the buffet, guest speakers from different cultural backgrounds spoke about their experience and told personal stories about women’s issues. Professor Ping-Chun Hgiung of U of T Scarborough campus shared with the audience that with the democratization of the Taiwanese government, women are now able to raise issues and voice their concerns. However, the state still has the capacity to silence women’s concerns when they conflict with the government’s agenda.
Olena Nikolayenko, a graduate student at U of T, spoke about women’s rights in Ukraine. She said that women in Ukraine who need help, whether in domestic or legal issues, have a much harder time finding it than in Canada. “International Women’s Day is still a controversial holiday in Ukraine because some people consider it as a sign of a communist legacy. They see it as something that is imposed upon them by the communists and they reject the holiday completely. But people in Ukraine who grew up with the tradition of celebrating the holiday celebrate it anyway despite the controversy,” said Nikolayenko.
Approximately 40 people participated in the event. Dr. Jian P. Su, one of the event organizers, was pleased with the turnout. “People called and asked if we were going to initiate something, so we decided to do it. This was a success. We got great feedback,” said Su. No plans have been made as to whether the event will continue on next year, but Su mentioned that there are a number of programs offered by the Status of Women Office for those who wish to get involved in women’s issues.
Siphiwe Dube, a philosophy graduate student at U of T and one of the few male participants, came to the event because women’s issues were always something that interested him. “In South Africa, where I came from, International Women’s Day is a big community-wide celebration. I think it’s great that we have events like these.
“Women’s issues are important topics in my studies…and it’s great that more and more people are showing up, especially males.”
