mr president international women's day gives us a united opportunity to focus on issues and challenges women face today to focus on the various forms of inequality that many women experience but also to celebrate achievements by women throughout the century
we in the united kingdom are especially proud to celebrate figures that have helped our nation progress in the field of women's rights women such as emily pankhurst leader of the british suffragettes which won women the right to vote shirin ebadi winner of the nobel peace prize in nineteen ninety-three for her efforts in promoting human rights especially for women and margaret thatcher the first british woman prime minister elected in nineteen seventy-nine
the issue of women reaching high positions and being given equal opportunities to men is just as relevant today as it was in the uk when the first female prime minister was elected
we can provide educational opportunities and employment but the pay gap still remains
we can legislate against discrimination in the workplace but we cannot legislate against the pressures of juggling work family life and managing a home
as a parliament we should be working towards assisting women to have a choice in what they do
if they choose to go into a career they must be supported to do so on an equal playing field
if they chose to stay at home and bring up their family they must not be undervalued
the phrase just a housewife needs to be outlawed
no woman is just anything
each is valued for her contribution
so if we talk about great women achievers i believe one group of women must head the list and in the uk we celebrate their contribution on fourteen march that is the mothers of the world the women who voluntarily give up their own ambitions and contribute their life to bringing up their children
for by doing so correctly they contribute towards a goal we all have a society based on equality and tolerance where human rights are respected whatever your gender
