International Women's Day March 8, 2001   "Celebrating Women Locally, Connecting Women Globally"

To celebrate the many roles and contributions of women around the world, several sponsors in the Iowa City area have planned a series of lectures and activities during the months of February, March, and April 2001. Some of the special national and international events highlighted this year include: 2001: International Year of the Volunteer March: Women's History Month March 1: Peace Corps Day and 40th Anniversary of Peace Corps March 8: International Women's Day April 3: Equal Pay Day Particular focus is centered on International Women's Day, celebrated each year on March 8 in many countries around the globe. The United Nations General Assembly, which is composed of delegates from all the member countries, states two main reasons for celebrating International Women's Day: first, to recognize the fact that peace and social progress require the active participation and equality of women; and second, to acknowledge the contribution of women to international peace and security. Join us as we honor and recognize the accomplishments and dreams of women worldwide!

Calendar of Events February March April

Links Peace Corps Day Peace Corps Day on March 1, 2001, marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps. Celebrate this special milestone in history by joining returned Peace Corps Volunteers across the country who will visit classrooms in their communities on March 1. http://www.peacecorps.gov/rpcv/peacecorpsday/index.html International Year of the Volunteer In November 1997, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers. To prepare for the year, the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) has been designated as international focal point. With its main objectives of increased recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteering, the International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV) provides a unique opportunity to highlight the achievements of the millions of volunteers worldwide and to encourage more people globally to engage in volunteer activity. http://www.iyv2001.org/ Women's History Month National Women's History Project http://www.nwhp.org/ Equal Pay Day Each year, the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) organizes the national observance of Equal Pay Day to raise awareness about unfair pay in America. In 2001, Equal Pay Day will be held on Tuesday, April 3rd. Tuesday is symbolic of the point into the new week that a woman must work in order to earn the wages paid to a man in the previous week. In other words, because women on average earn less, they must work longer for the same pay. Since the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, the wage gap has been closing at a very slow rate. In 1963, women made 59 cents on average for every dollar that men earned. In 1999, women earned 72 cents to the dollar. That means that the wage gap has narrowed by a little over a third of a penny per year! http://www.feminist.com/fairpay/epd.htm

Sponsoring Organizations Our thanks to the organizations that helped to plan and sponsor International Women's Day and related events. Iowa United Nations Association (Iowa UNA) Iowa City Human Rights Commission University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) Iowa Peace Corps Association (IPCA) University of Iowa Student United Nations (UISUN) Emma Goldman Clinic for Women Iowa Women's Foundation (IWF) Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC) University of Iowa Feminist Union (UIFU) Iowa Women Initiating Social Change (IWIS) Humanities Iowa The Stanley Foundation Additional Sponsors: Johnson County United Nations Association Peace Corps Peace Corps Writers and Readers