The Handbook “It’s the 8 of March” was created in March 2021 to give each of us ideas on how to celebrate International Women’s Day at the office, at university, at school, at home. It helps us to choose how to make sure we commemorate the achievements of women in all spheres of life and at the same time to continue the conversation about the existing inequalities.
The Handbook was created by the Bulgarian Fund for Women with the invaluable support of volunteers Blaga Zapryanova, Jacqueline Vasileva, Katerina Vasileva, Rosena Ivanova, Steliana Tonchevska-Marinova – participants in the “Feminist Boot Camp 2020”.
This Guidebook will help you with ideas for organizing various events and initiatives for International Women’s Day and for the whole month of March, known as the Month of Women’s History.
For instance, did you know that:
- In 2018, the pay gap between men and women in Bulgaria was 13.5%.
- Only ¼ of the MPs in the Bulgarian Parliament are women.
- Less than 16% of the executives and directors of large companies in Bulgaria are women.
- In the field of culture, women are also not well represented. In the permanent exhibition of the National Gallery “Square 500” only 9% of artworks are made by women.
- Every two weeks a woman in Bulgaria is killed by her husband, partner, relative or other acquaintance.
- There are 360,000 single mothers in Bulgaria. 72% of them and their children live on the edge of poverty.
- Nearly 40% of Bulgarian women work unpaid every day and take care of children, grandchildren or the elderly. The men handle only 13% of the housework.
In the Handbook you can learn more about the history of the struggle for women’s equality and how the day was celebrated in the past. What are the successes of women’s movement in Bulgaria and around the world, but also what are the still existing problems and inequalities? What is more, the Handbook provides with statistics on some of the major systemic problems and inequalities that put women at a disadvantage and hinder their development. You will understand why investing in girls and women benefits society as a whole.
The handbook also presents a look at other vulnerable groups and communities that the feminist movement supports and with which it has a common struggle for equality – representatives of ethnic minorities, LGBTI +, people with disabilities, migrants and others.
We at the Bulgarian Fund for Women believe that change comes from within – from each of us and that the only way to eliminate discrimination, violence and inequality is to counteract them with awareness, activity, education and no compromises!
You can download the online version of the Handbook “It’s the 8 of March” (for now only in Bulgarian) from here
