Sociology

As the international womens day approaches, many forums and conferences are being held prior to the days celebrations. Highlights of these forums focus mostly on issues which affect women on a daily basis and more so, those which have impacted greatly on their quest for equality in the modern world. It is in this bid that the International Womens Day coalition of L.A., organized a series of forums in the country for women to come together and review these same issues. This paper provides an analysis of one such forum where the issue under discussion was the unraveling of womens power and capacity to instill change in the society with specific reference to gender bias. Moreover, it was also an avenue for the world to evaluate the contributions made towards promoting womens rights.

The forum dubbed Break the Chains Unleash the Fury of Women as a Mighty Force for Revolution was held on 26th February 2010, in L.A at Immanuel Presbyterian church.  The womens forum brought together women from all over Los Angeles, California that represented a vast range of womens organizations and groups among others. It was an event open to all women in the region regardless of any group affiliations. Apart from celebrating the international womens day, this forum was put up by the International Womens Day Coalition of L.A. in a bid to showcase the necessity for the world to give preference to womens rights and gender equality. According to UNESCO (2010), gender equality is the only remedy for sustainable development in the world. Thus, the coalition sought to create an avenue where women are recognized for their achievements and as influential people in the society.

During the forum, key speeches focused on the problem of gender bias with special reference to the workplace. Women were said to face difficulties gaining employment or sustaining the same due to cases of sexual harassment and discrimination. While laws have been put to protect womens rights, it was eminent that further action needed to be taken to cement these laws. During discussions, women acknowledged that they have achieved immense success in dealing with gender bias issues in the workplace, but more needed to be done. Consequently, the forum then focused on seeking the way forward in making gender equality, a reality. From the discussion of the issue of gender bias, there were cited such scenarios of discrimination. For one, most judicial systems have sidelined women and made it adamantly difficult for women to serve as officers in the justice system. It was evident that there are less women judges, magistrates and law enforcement officers in the justice system. Clearly from this, it was crucial to heighten efforts for the empowerment of women as a way of giving them equal opportunities in the workplace.

The issue of gender bias had been selected as the focal point of the forum following previous surveys on women in the workplace. They unfortunately indicated increased rates of gender discrimination against women in the workplace as opposed to popular belief that the vice was on the decline. This fact made the issue a matter of urgency to the womens coalition which is keen on the advancement and empowerment of women. This event was quite significant in pushing the agenda for womens equality forward. It also enlightened women and the nation in general of the plague of gender bias which is threatening to cripple economic growth and development. Furthermore, following this event there has been more forums organized to take place all over the world which will spread the same message of promoting gender equality and appreciating womens strengths. To say the least, numerous activities have been organized in all a majority of countries aimed at empowering women in the modern society.

In conclusion, the International womens day coalition has been at the forefront of enhancing gender equality by promoting female empowerment. Their desire in organizing this event prior to the womens international day was to sensitize the world on this critical issue of gender equality and female empowerment. In fulfilling this desire, their strategy focused on bringing together women in Los Angeles and creating awareness on the issue of gender bias. This was just a beginning to a venture which will go a long way in promoting gender equality in the world.